Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	assistance_n	good_a	great_a	104	3	2.1271	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35003	The third and last volume of the sermons of Mr. Stephen Crisp late of Colchester Essex, deceased containing XII declarations upon several divine subjects : exactly taken in short-hand as they were deliver'd by him at the publick meeting-houses of the people called Quakers ... and now faithfully transcribed and published : with some of his prayers after sermon.	Crisp, Stephen, 1628-1692.	1694 (1694)	Wing C6943; ESTC R26073	139,372	264

have an Eye to Christ the Author and Finisher of their Faith when Men have a reference to their Faith in Christ this makes their Duty acceptable I cannot do it except the Lord strengthen me therefore I will have respect to the Mediator Christ Jesus who was sent for a Light into the World God sends forth his Grace to every one to lay hold on that generally believe that tho' they are unable to do what God requires ye● he will enable them to do it 〈◊〉 a● many as rece●ved him to them he gave Power to become the Sons of God tho' they were the Devils Children before He is the same yes●erday to day and for ever He abides al●●●s the same in his Grace to Men he is in his operation to them the same he offers Grace to them that are out of a frame of Mind to receiv● it they may know that his Power will giv● them Ability and that whatsoever they do of themselves will prove fruitless because it is not done in Christ's Name and Power and so not acceptable to God The greatest thing that we are to be concern'd about if we will be Religious and concern our selves about divine Matters about the Kingdom of God and the World to come is to see what frame of Mind we are in at present whether the high Places are taken away whether we are not exalted in our own Conceits of Knowledge and Wisdom and reckon not to be beholden to him for his Grace If we be highly conceited and think we can stand upon our own Legs the high Places are not taken away Men are not prepared to seek the God of their Fathers therefore let every one mind turning to God and see how it is with you see whether there be a Mind brought low enough to be subject to Christ and to the gracious Teachings of his Spirit A Man may say I can make a good Sermon I can make a good Prayer and Exhortation and I can make a Book ●nd 〈◊〉 it abroad I can do all this by mine own P●●ts and Abilities so thou maist and maist ma●e it all full of good Words but thou canst never make it acceptable to God for without me saith Christ you can do nothing T●●● must have the assistance of the Spirit of Christ else thou canst not make a good Prayer nor a good Book nor any thing good God esteems the very Plowing of the Wicked to b● an Abomination to him Where the Mind is not exercised by the Spirit of God if he should pray from Morning to Night and spend all his Days in Pennance it will do him no good If I saith David regard Iniquity you may think I am a Man in favour with God a Man after Gods own Heart yet if I regard Iniquity in my Heart the Lord will not hear my Prayer What signifies Prayers and Sermons made of good Words if they come not f●●m a Heart separate from Iniquity If it be not so it will do no good at all in point of Acceptance with God O let the fear of the Lord enter upon every Heart wait all to feel the Divine Power of the Lord that brings down every high Thought that so you may look to the Preparation of your Heart that is a right Preparation when People are so low so broken and so tender that they are nothing in their own Eyes but what the Lord will make them to be Then they are as Clay to the Hands of the Potter they are fashioned by his Hands and 〈◊〉 the Wor●●anship of God in Chr●●● Je●●● 〈◊〉 ●●e one Mediator between God and M●● They must bear Christ Jesus his likeness 〈◊〉 his h●●●enly Image they must ●●ve hi●●ualities and have the same Min● in them that was in him I do always that which pleaseth my Father saith the Lord Jesus Christ Indeed he hath the doing of things in the Hearts of Men and God is pleased with him and where Men have the doing of them themselves they are thrown back as Dung in their Faces where any aim at infallible Justification where Men have a right preparation of Heart so to seek the God of their Fathers as to find him and be accepted of him it is through Jesus Christ in whom he is well ple●●●● In all your Assemblies Prayers Exercises and Meditations you must be separated and drawn o●●●●m your former Lovers and you must be joined to him that God hath sent to be a ●eader and a Guide unto you then you will find daily his Assistance and as you have Assistance from him you will find Acceptance wi●● God and he will shew you the Father and that and nothing else will satisfy the Soul hungring and thirsting after God Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us So when Christ the Mediator comes to have wrought so far as the purifying of the Soul and the sanctification thereof and thereby fitted it for his Glory such holy Souls 〈◊〉 behold his Glory For the Lord 〈…〉 Grace and Glory and no good thing will 〈◊〉 hold from them that walk uprightly That you may be brought to this State and ●ept and preserved in it that the Heavens may rain down Fatness upon you and that you may feel the living Vertues that flow from Christ to every Member this is the Labour and Travel of the Servants of God for their own Souls and the Souls of others that are in Unity and Fellowship with the Holy Spirit SERMON VI. Captive Sinners set free by Jesus Christ Preached at Devonshire-House April 29th 166● THere is nothing will make People live to God but that which they received from God For as all Men by Nature are in a state of Death so there must be something beyond Nature to make them alive again and that ●s it that every one ought to wait upon God 〈◊〉 that you may feel something that is supernatural And that you may be acquainte● with God's Gift The gift of God saith the Scripture is eternal life Many find a Life in this World that is not the Gift of 〈◊〉 The Life that People have in Sin it is not the Gift of God the Delights and Pleasures of this World are become a Life unto them The World is that to which every one must die they that are not dead to that they live all to themselves they do not live to God for none can live to God but by the Life that comes from him That which People receive of Man gathers them unto Man that which they receive of God carries them to God So Men have made Gatherings and have communicated of what they have to one another and by vertue thereof have made them a People Many Men have gathered many People ●●ny Churches and they live to them that gathered them they do not live to God for want of receiving something from God 〈◊〉 all they that come to receive the Gift of God they die to the World and they come to live such a Life as the World doth

〈…〉 Works is the Devil's Child then ●●ey wi●●●●nfess this is of the Devil and ●he other 〈◊〉 the Devil This is an evil W●●k an● 〈◊〉 that I had need be brought into another condition When People come to an Acknowledgment of the Truth and of their own Condemnation then they are one Step towards Redemption and Salvation No one ever took one step towards their Salvation till they ●cknowledged their own Condemnation He that sanctifies and they that are sanctified are all of one and they that are joyne● to the Lord are one spirit An evil tree saith Christ cannot bring forth good fruit When Christ spake this he spake it to Men and Women ●nd he spake it of Men and Women and not of Trees And when he said No man can gather grapes of thorns nor figs of thistles he speaks of a Generation of Men as if he had said 〈◊〉 this Thorn must be transl●●● changed into another nature before 〈◊〉 bring forth Grapes and this Thistle 〈◊〉 changed into another nature before 〈◊〉 forth Figs. There must be a Change in the na●● Man before there can be a Change 〈◊〉 Fruit and Effect of his Doings Wha● he sows th●● he shall also reap whatso●● man doth in the body he must give an 〈◊〉 thereof at the day of judgment for th● 〈◊〉 will be opened and men judged according to 〈◊〉 thin●● written in those books If there be 〈◊〉 Boo●●or thee and me I le warrant thee th●● is a great deal in it there is a Recorder an● a Clerk for the Book which God hath opened in every Man's Conscience and there 〈◊〉 set down every Man● Transgressions and hi● Sins Saith one Th●● hast written my Transgressions as with the point of a diamond thou hast ingraven it so deep that it seems impossible that it should ever be blotted out again Some have had their Sins so deeply ingraven in their Consciences that they have thought they would never be blotted out they were written as with the Pen of a Diamond When People see and consider that they have ventured their Souls upon such 〈◊〉 Grounds I hope they will be awaked to 〈◊〉 after Righteousness when they see the 〈◊〉 nothing good in them Where there is 〈◊〉 thing good it is God that hath given it 〈◊〉 them Some will say If I be pervers● 〈◊〉 〈…〉 wicked I cannot h●lp it therefore 〈◊〉 be beholdenn to my Maker to help 〈◊〉 ●lse I must never be helped Now be●●●● God knows that we are helpless he 〈◊〉 ●id help upon one that is mighty that is 〈◊〉 Lord Jesus Christ and Christ hath sent 〈◊〉 his spirit into the world to convince the 〈◊〉 of sin and to lead his people into all 〈◊〉 And this Grace that comes by Jesus ●●●ist hath been so universally shewed and 〈◊〉 universally extended to all Men that I never met with a Man yet that had none of it But let them be as bad and as dark as they could yet the Light of Christ shined ●o that Darkness into the darkest Heart that ever I met with in all my Life He sheweth Men That his light shineth in darkness and the darkness cannot comprehend Therefore the Wor● that God hath set us about and the Service which he requires at the Hands of many of us is to turn Men from their own Darkness unto the Light of Christ their Saviour and from the Devil's Power that hath enslaved them to the Power of God that can redeem them and yet we are far enough from that which they call Free Will we are far enough from this We say a man can never be saved till he learn to deny his own Will it is God's Will that every one ●●ould be saved But some will not be saved they will keep their Wills and not resign them up to God they have a Free-will to go to Destruction As for Salvation if they will obtain it they must part with 〈…〉 and they must take a Yo●● 〈…〉 on them before they can b● 〈…〉 ●●●ple can have thei● Wills they will 〈…〉 Christ's Yoke upon them He that 〈◊〉 Christ's Disciple must deny his own W●●● take up his daily Cross These are ●he 〈◊〉 of the Gospel But you will say No Man by 〈◊〉 Power he hath can redeem himself 〈◊〉 Man can live without Sin We will say Amen to it But if Men te●● us That when God's Power comes to help u● and to redeem us out of Sin that it canno● 〈◊〉 ●ffected then this Doctrin we cannot awa● with nor I hope you neither Would yo● like it well if I should tell you That God puts 〈◊〉 his Power to do such a thing bu● the Devil hinders him That it is impossible for God to do it because the Devil doth not like it That it is impossible that any one should be free from sin because the Devil hath got such a Power in them that God cannot cast it out This is lamentable Doctrin hath not this been preached this Doctrin of Impossibility of living without Sin It doth in plain Terms say Though God doth interpose hi● Power it is impossible because the Devil hath so rooted Sin in the Nature of Man Is 〈◊〉 Man God's Creature and cannot he nev●● make him and cast Sin out of him If 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rooted deeply in Man I say 〈◊〉 〈…〉 deeply rooted but Christ Jesus is en●●● 〈…〉 the Root of the Nature of 〈◊〉 that he hath received Power to destroy 〈◊〉 evil and his Works ●nd to recover and 〈◊〉 Man into his Primitive Nature of ●●●hteousness and Holiness or else that is 〈◊〉 That he is able to save to the utmost ●●at come unto God by him We must throw 〈◊〉 the Bible if we say that it is impossible 〈◊〉 God to deliver Man out of Sin Is not ●●●ist entred into the root of our Nature And hath he not taken upon him the Seed of Abraham after the Flesh Is he not entred into the Root of all Men's Natures and tasted death for every man that he might quicken every one that is dead in sins and trespasses All these things speak the Love of God to Mankind in order to ●●●ir Salvation Much might be said to these things these Clouds of Error and Darkness that have overspread the Nation yet this I say if one were to speak of it never so long it must be by the Eye that God gives you that you must see it it is he that opens the Hearts of Men as he did Lydia's If there had not been the Power of God that reached her Heart Paul could not have opened it When all is said that can be said the Counsel of God which hath sounded in your Ears is recommended to you that every one may retire in quietness and stillness of Mind to 〈◊〉 for the feeling of that quickning P●●●●r of the Spirit of Christ that is sent in●● 〈◊〉 Hearts of Men that that may open 〈◊〉 Eyes to see your present state then you 〈◊〉 see a better state 〈◊〉 further