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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	aaron_n	lord_n	preach_v	15	3	9.7829	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12478	An exposition of the Creed: or, An explanation of the articles of our Christian faith. Delivered in many afternoone sermons, by that reverend and worthy divine, Master Iohn Smith, late preacher of the Word at Clavering in Essex, and sometime fellow of Saint Iohns Colledge in Oxford. Now published for the benefit and behoofe of all good Christians, together with an exact table of all the chiefest doctrines and vses throughout the whole booke	Smith, John, 1563-1616.; Palmer, Anthony, fl. 1632.	1632 (1632)	STC 22801; ESTC S117414	837,448	694

of our sinnes to get faith in Christ to walke before God in newnesse and holinesse of life and then after this life we shall live in all blessednesse in the kingdome of Heaven for ever SERMON LXXI LVKE 1. 77. To give knowledge of salvation unto his People by the remission of their sinnes AT length wee are come to the second maine blessing and benefit that God giveth unto us in this life the forgivenesse of sinnes wherein two things are to be considered First That the forgivenesse of sinnes is one of the greatest blessings that God giveth to his People here in this World Secondly That this blessing appertaineth to this life onely if we have it not here let us not looke for it in the life to come For the first That the forgivenesse of sinnes is one of the greatest blessing that God giveth to his People in this world We see Esay 33. 24. it is said The People that dwell therein shall have their iniquitie pardoned So Esay 40. 1. Comfort ye comfort ye my People saith God speake yee comfort unto Ierusalem and crie unto her that her warfare is accomplished that her iniquitie is pardoned for she hath received of the Lords hand double for all her sinnes and Psal 32. David pronounceth the man blessed that hath his sinnes pardoned therefore Matth. 1. the Angell said to Mary and thou shalt call his Name Iesus for he shall save his People from their sinnes so then it is cleare by the Scripture that the pardon of sinnes is one of the greatest blessings that God giveth in this life It is a great blessing indeed to have food and rayment with things fit and needfull for this life but the pardon of our sinnes is a greater blessing than that for take any man abounding in all these things riches goods honours and credit yet if he want the pardon of his sinnes he is a miserable man and stands in a wofull condition for he stands not on cleare grounds The prisoners in the Tower are in a worse estate and condition than the poorest waterbearer is for though he have all good diet attendance fine roomes and a soft bed to lie on yet in his owne sense he is miserable because he lookes every day for his arraignment when sentence shall be given against him so if a man flow in all the wealth and deliciousnesse the world can afford and yet be unreconciled to God and hath not repented his sinnes he is in a worse condition and estate than the poorest of Gods Saints though they have but bread and water because that every day hee may looke when hee shall have the finall sentence pronounced against him to the wofull confusion of him for evermore When every thing goes well with us it is an hard matter for us to see the pardon of our sinnes to bee one of the greatest blessings but if the Lord should open our eyes to see our sinnes and to feele the burthen of them a little being touched in conscience for them then if the world were set on the one hand and the pardon of our sinnes on the other we would choose the pardon of our sinnes before all this world The use hereof shall be seeing the pardon of sinnes is one of the greatest blessings that God giveth in this world therfore though God give us food and raiment things needfull and necessarie for this life yet we should not be at rest till we finde the pardon and forgivenesse of our sinnes most men now a-dayes labour for these outward things never seeke for the pardon of sinnes but every one should checke himselfe and say I have laboured a long time for these outward things for a little bread and cloath yet the time is to come that ever I sought for the pardon of my sinnes the greatest blessing of all Exod. 8. 8. wee read how Pharoah came to Moses and Aaron saying Pray yee unto the Lord that hee may take away the frogges from mee Hee desired not him to pray to take away his sinnes which was the cause of them Iust the same is the case of the men of this world they cry out take away this judgement this sicknesse this lamenesse take away this povertie but never pray to God to take away their sinnes which are the cause thereof Gen. 15. God made to Abraham great and large promises who replies to God Lord what is all this seeing I goe childlesse so when God hath given a man Riches and goods and what the heart of a man can wish for yet he should say unto God Lord what is all this seeing I want the pardon of my sinnes therefore above all things Lord forgive mee my sinnes and pardon them The second thing is that pardon of sinnes appertaineth to this life onely for there are two sorts of blessings some that appertaine to this life some to the world to come those that appertaine to this life are First The Communion of Saints Secondly The forgivenesse of sinnes Here a man must seek it for so Christ shewes Matth. 5. agree with thine adversarie whilest thou art in the way Now Augustine saith that the time of life is the way to the judgement barre and therefore while wee are in the way wee must labour to seeke peace with God and the pardon of our sinnes lest our adversarie accuse us to the Iudge and the Iudge deliver us to the jaylour and the jaylour cast us into prison whence wee shall not come out untill wee have payed the uttermost farthing And Salomon saith Eccl. 9. 10. All that thy hand findeth to doe doe it with all thy power for there is neither worke invention nor knowledge in the grave whither thou goest So S. Cyprian saith when a man is once out of this world all opportunitie of doing good is gone So Chrysostome here in this world one must finde the pardon of his sinnes in the world to come it will bee too late to finde it And so Augustine there is a twofold Repentance a fruitfull Repentance which is in this life and penall or unfruitfull Repentance in the life to come so the wicked in Hell may repent them of their sinnes the whoremonger of his whroedome swearers of their swearing and the drunkard of his drunkennesse but this kind of Repentance is unfruitfull because they have no good by it but it serveth to increase their further torment But the fruitfull Repentance is in this life onely therefore we are taught hereby to make it our wisedome to lay hold on the good time that God giveth us to repent us of our si●nes to bee reconciled unto him and seeke favour at his hands for if we bee once dead and layd in the grave all opportimitie of doing good is taken away If a man sends his servant to the market to buy such things as they stand in need of when the market bell rings hee must apply himselfe to buy the things that

deceived of our faith and so deceived of heaven I will give you seven true notes and markes of faith whereby wee may discerne true faith from the faith of the world which are these that follow The first signe of true faith whereby wee may discerne it from the faith of the world is By the efficient cause which is preaching For thence it ariseth so it is preaching that workes faith in us so wee see in Rom. 10. Faith commeth by hearing the Word of God preached it doth not arise of nothing but comes of preaching therefore it is called Semen the seede of the Word that even as plants and herbs come of seedes so of the preaching of the Word comes faith but the faith of the world that doth not arise of the preaching of the Word but of the speech of people and by a report they have heard of ever since they can remember who never heard otherwise and therefore this is not the true faith Wherefore every one should looke how he comes by his faith and by what means if it comes not by preaching it cannot be true faith Now if preaching be the meanes to get true faith in us let us labour to have it because it is the meanes to worke true faith for how can wee have it if wee want the meanes if wee have not seede wee can have no corne and hee that stealeth away a handfull of our feede doth us more hurt than hee that stealeth much more out of our barne so if we have no preaching which is the meanes we can have no faith and he that takes away preaching doth us more hurt than to take any thing else from us The second signe or marke of true faith whereby wee may discerne it from the faith of the world is That it begins in weakenesse Even like a childe that is weake at the first and afterwards it groweth stronger and stronger through the nourishment it takes so our faith is weake at the first and by the use of good meanes it groweth stronger and stronger Iudges 6. we see how weake Gideons faith was at the first and so the disciples of Christ their faith was so weake at the first that Christ did reprove them for it Now the faith of the world that doth not begin in weakenesse but it is as strong the first day as it is many yeares after there is no doubting of Gods mercy they leape into the full assurance of faith at the first and therefore this cannot bee true faith for this beginnes in weakenesse and after by little and little it comes to the full assurance of faith Even as a man that climbes up to the top of a tree he catcheth hold first on the lower boughs and so by little and little he windes himselfe into the Tree till at last he comes at the top so wee come not to the full assurance of faith at first but wee must winde our selves into it by prayer meditation conference and such like duties till wee come unto the full assurance thereof It is the bold presumption of the world that they thinke they shall bee saved as soone as they looke into Religion when as it comes onely by the use of good meanes many a day together The third point wherby wee may discerne true faith from the faith of the world That it groweth although it begins in weakenesse yet it growes by the use of the good meanes that it was gotten by as by preaching of the Word prayer and such like good meanes as the Apostle shewes 1 Thes 2. 13. For this cause also thanke wee God without ceasing that when ye received the Word of God ye received it not as the word of man but as it is indeede the Word of God which worketh in you which beleeve The graces of God are compared to a little seede and not to a stone for that stands at a stay Now true faith groweth by the use of good meanes so we see 1 Pet. 2. 1. As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the word that ye may grow thereby The faith of the world doth not grow but keepes at a stay and doth not increase by the preaching of Gods word and prayer and by the use of good meanes therefore it cannot be true faith if a man hath a little child and they feede it and give it meate and the child grows not therby but stands at a stay they may say it is a changeling but this is not alwayes true It is observed to bee a judgement of God to restraine the blessing of foode although it be not alwaies true in this yet it is true in our faith if it keepe at a stay and doe not grow when there is good meanes it is no true faith no better than a changeling The fourth point whereby wee may discerne of true faith from the faith of the world is By the qualities of the person in whom it is found for it is not found but in a heart bruised and broken with sinne as Acts 2. they were pricked in their hearts and in Acts 16. the Iayler there trembled so that true faith is alwayes in a heart broken and bruised for sinne Now in the faith of the world there is no compunction nor sorrow for sinne they never mourne nor grieve for it therefore because it is not found in a heart bruised and broken it cannot be true faith they bee as merry at the first as at the last day If a Physitian should tell us that such a herbe would helpe us against all Infections whatsoever but it alwayes growes in a watery place and hee should tell us that there is another herbe like that in colour stalke leafe smell and in blossome but it groweth on a rocke or on a stone wall if wee should finde such an herbe on a rocke or on a stone wall wee could not say it were that which would preserve us against the infection because it groweth not in a watery place even so the heavenly Physitian hath told us that true saving faith doth alwayes grow in a heart that is broken and bruised for sinne in a watery conscience and therefore if wee find one like it in in all things and find it on a rocke or on a stone wall if we find it in an impenitent and hard heart and a heart never touched for sinne this is not the true faith Wee read that Mary Magdalen brought a boxe of costly oyntment to Christ and broke her boxe and powred it our which Christ did accept of all other oyntments are best in a whole boxe but this oyntment of faith Christ doth not accept but in a broken boxe in a heart broken for sinne and because the world hath not their faith in a broken boxe in an heart broken for sinne therefore Christ doth not accept of it The fifth point whereby wee may discerne true faith from the faith of the world is by the opposition that is made against

Paul exhort to forgive one another their sinnes Col. 3. 13. To this I answer that in every sin of injustice there are two parties offended God and Man now man may forgive his part but it is God only that must forgive his part Levit. 6. 5 6. it is said Whatsoever one hath sworn falsely he shall even restore it in the principall and shall adde the fifth part more thereto and give it unto him unto whom it appertaineth the same day he offreth for his trespasses Also he shall bring unto the Lord a Ramme without blemish out of the flocke in thy estimation worth two sheckles for a trespasse offering to the Priest Hence I inferre it is not enough to make satisfaction to man but when we have done with him then wee must make our peace with God also Againe it is Objected the Ministers may forgive sinnes in the Gospell As Iohn 20. 23. saith Christ Whosoever sinnes ye retaine are retained I answere there is two courts that sinne hath to deale in In foro mundi the Court of this World and In foro Coeli the Court of heaven In the Court of this World the Minister may forgive and one Man may forgive another but in the Court of Heaven there is none but God that can forgive our sinnes Moreover there is the power of remission and the ministery of remission the power of remission that belongs to God for none but he hath power to forgive but the ministery of remission that belongs to the Minister hee may pronounce the forgivenesse of sinnes As we see Levit. 13. In the cleansing of the Lepers it was God onely that made them cleare the Priest did but pronounce them cleane So then this point is cleare that it is none but God that can forgive sinnes For use first let us consider what a grievous thing sinne is that none but God can forgive and free us from it We see how affraid men bee to breake a legge or arme or to hurt themselves because they would not fall into the Chirurgions hand and yet many of them can set a joynt and helpe us againe but when a man hath sinned there is none in Heaven nor in Earth that can helpe him but onely God therefore wee should be affraid to sinne against Him Wee see in nature that there are some diseasses that are hard to cure as the Stone the Gout the Strangury and many others notwithstanding the great difficulty of curing it yet there be some that can cure these but when a man hath sinned against God he hath done that that no man in the world can cure but God onely therefore how affraid should we be to commit sinne Secondly seeing there is none but God can forgive sinnes therefore when we have sinned wee should cast our eyes from this World and worldly friends and seeke to God for the pardon of them Great men may doe us some good when wee bee well and our friends may comfort us when wee be sicke but when our consciences are dejected for sinne there is none but God can give us comfort A man may looke upon his gold and silver his goods and his lands as a sicke man lookes on his meate not taking delight in any thing because he lookes for the judgement and sentence of God to passe upon him this whole world cannot release him nor give him comfort but it must be God that must doe it therefore we must seeke to him for the pardon of our sinnes for howsoever a man doth not feele his sinnes in the time of securitie and peace yet when his sinnes shall come upon him and accuse him then he shall feele them then is the time that they shall stand in need of God as Iudges 10. 14. the Lord saith to the people Goe and crie unto your gods which ye have chosen let them free you in the time of your trouble so the Lord will say to us in the time of our distresse if we despise him in the time of our health and peace Goe and crie to the Gods that ye have served and see if they can helpe you in the time of your neede goe to your pleasur's and profits and see if they can help you we see that such a time will come that we shall stand in neede of his helpe therefore let us seeke for it in time while we may have it Wee say at this time wee have neede of raine but can your Kings and Queenes give it can your Princes and Nobles no none can doe it but God therefore we must have recourse to him for it and seeke it at his hands If a man dwell by the Sea side where there is a great banke betweene him and the Sea the Shippes passe by and all the commodities none whereof can bee brought unto him but if he can digge downe the banke and cut a sluce through into the Sea then hee may bring the commodities home to himselfe so we dwell by an infinite Sea of Gods goodnesse there being a great banke between us and that which is a banke of sinne so that all the commodities goodnesse and mercie of God passeth by us therefore wee must digge downe this banke of sinne and make a sluce through by prayer and repentance so to draw Gods goodnesse and mercy home to our selves and seeing there is none but God can forgive us our sinnes let us keepe God our friend and if wee have at any time offended him let us not be at rest till we have sought his favour againe and feele the comfort of the pardon and forgivenesse of our sinnes Sixthly God doth not absolutely forgive men their sinnes without any condition but it is upon condition if they will repent It is such a condition that we cannot have pardon of our sinnes without it It is not the cause of it but it is a necessary condition whereby wee are made fit and capable of Heaven and Heavenly things these two goe together repentance and forgivenesse of sinnes these Christ hath conveyed together here in this Scripture that I read unto you that repentance and remission of sinnes should be preached in his Name so Acts 3. 15. Peter saith Amend your lives therefore and turne that your sinnes may be put away If wee will repent of them renounce them and labour to get strength against them then God will forgive them but if we will not repent of them nor renounce them but live in them and nourish them in our bosomes then wee can looke for no forgivenesse there are thousands that doe deceive themselves selves this way who thinke that forgivenesse of sinnes is absolute though they doe nothing but live as they list yet God will forgive them but we are to know it is conditionall if we doe repent of them And therefore let all men take heed that they doe not deceive themselves in this Thus much of the generall Now we come to the