Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	believe_v	faith_n	propound_v	3,192	5	10.4974	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15336	A discourse touching the doctrine of doubting In which not onely the principall arguments, that our popish aduersaries vse, for the establishing of that discomfortable opinion, are plainely and truely aunswered: but also sundrie suggestions of Sathan tending to the maintenance of that in the mindes of the faithfull fully satisfied, and that with singuler comfort also. VVritten long since by T.W. and now published for the profit of the people of God.	T. W. (Thomas Wilcox), 1549?-1608.	1598 (1598)	STC 25621; ESTC S102154	130,155	343

god hath giuen vnto vs concernig his grace fauour that we might not onely haue the same generally propounded vnto vs therein as we see it to bee done in the publike ministrie of the worde especially but that by the vse of the same euerie one rigthly vsing them for the taking awaye of doubt and distrust out of his heart might haue sealed vp in him an infallible testimonie of Gods mercie euerie way specially of the forgiuenesse of his sinnes and the sauing of his soule through the obedience of Christ vnto whome and his merits the Sacraments do indeed directly vs and to haue by them as it were by certen aides propps his faith more more vpheld continued And therefore Rom. 4. the Apostle speaking of circumcision saieth that it was the seale of righteousnesse which is by faith And Gal 5. speaking of our holy baptisme he affirmeth that so many of vs as haue beene baptized according to Christs institution and haue had with all the grace of the Sacrament bestowed vpon vs by the effectuall working of the holie spirite of God haue put on Christ Yea the Euangelists and Paule himselfe shewing what Christ did and saide in the administration of his holie Supper obserue amongest other things this that he said take yee eate yee this is my bodie which is giuen for you likewise of the cup drinke yee all of this for this is my blood of the new testament which was shed for you for the forgiuenesse of sinnes What meaneth this particular sumption or taking of the elements in the one or in the other Sacrament but to teach and instruct vs that as verilie as those outward things are become ours we hauing taken them vpon our flesh in our hands conueied them into our stomack and haue had as it were al our senses satisfied therwith that so for our better assurāce we haue by the eye of faith beheld and by the hand of faith laye sure hold of those spirituall graces that God in the Sacraments ment to offer by those outward and visible signes and elements and actions vsed in and about them he ment more and more to confirme our harts But this certaintie and comforte that is aforesaid in sort and sense is contained in the Sacraments this doctrine of doubting that is deliuered in the romish synagogue doth not only weaken it but laboureth if not by violence yet by fraude and subtiltie to pull out of mens minds and consciences For these two things to wit that in the Sacraments of God ordained by god to remooue our doubting and to confirme our faith euerie one of vs haue the promise of God sealed vp in our hearts by the Sacraments and in their lawfull sanctified vse are euerye one of vs vnderpropped and confirmed that we should not doubt but should bee assured of the grace and fauour of God touching the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and eternall saluation and this that the papists teach that we are to doubt concerning the promise of gods grace and fauour pardoning of our sinnes sauing of our soules c. These two things I say are so opposite one of them to another that they cannot stand together nor no more agree then fire and water light and blindnesse c. And therefore also we are to cast away from vs this doctrine or dotage rather 9. As in the articles of our faith we say we beleeue and confesse the forgiuenesse of sinns so is that sweet and comfortable doctrin also commended vnto vs in the holy Scriptures and propounded in many places of the Gospell take one for all namely Luke 44. where it is said that repentance and remission of sins should bee preached in Christs name among all nations But this doctrine of our aduersaries fighteh directly against it for shall we say we beleeue it and yet shall we doubt of it Or mindeth God to haue it propounded as principall part of the gospell and we shall stand in mannering of it specially as in respect of our selues For other mens hearts this way we are not able to sound with our owne we ought to be best acquainted This is to make God to deale worse with the faithfull then earthly princes doe with their rebellious and vndutifull subiects who if they proclaime once a pardon must be beleeued in the word of a prince and God publishing such a doctrine and requiring beleefe of it yea labouring the feeling of it in our hearts must not be credited What is it to beleeue the forgiunes of sinnes namely to be well assured of this that that grace is not onely imputed vnto others but vnto them also and that is the reason also why we say I beleeue and why the spirit telleth vs the iust shall liue by his owne faith For though I may yea ought to be well perswaded as of the whole body of the Church so of euery seueral sounde member thereof that all the graces that God hath promised to all or any of them shal be effectually accomplished because he that cānot lie and is both willing and able to performe whatsoeuer pleaseth him hath promised the same yet can I not particularly feele these graces in others as in mine owne soule because I haue receiued the gift and grace of faith particularly to apply them vnto myselfe and to assure mine owne heart therein And therefore in vaine if our aduersaries doctrine be true hath God both appointed the preaching of it and called for the beleefe of it at our hāds sith to doubt of this maine point is amōgst thē a matter both lawful necessary 10 Lastly there are many places of scripture which exact and demaunde at the hands of the faithfull perseuerance in well doing yea which doe exercise and stirre them vp therevnto To put downe the particular places intreating thereof and demaunding it at our hands would make halfe a volume That we must auoid to the end we must shunne tediousnes and not to shew some were to leaue scruple that we could not performe it or that there were no such places in the Scripture we must therefore of necessitie repeat one or two which I would pray the godly reader might suffice for all How sweet is that saying of Psal 37. ver 24. 25 Though he fal speaking of the righteous and godlie yet shall he not bee cast off And why so the spirite rendreth the reason for the Lord putteth vnder his hand as if he would say men may bee sure it shall so be because God that is greater then all can will establish him And yet there is not all but for our better warrantile and vpholding of our heart he putteth downe his owne particular obseruation and experience not onely in his own person but in others saying in the next verse I haue beene yong and am old yet saw I neuer the righteous forsaken nor his seede begging bread In the 22 of the Gospell after Luke Christ saith thus to Peter Simon Simon Satan hath

they should content themselues with and stay vpon his manifested wil labouring in sinceritie and simplicitie of minde to know and obey that onely which he hath reuealed vnto vs by his law Now then if they vnderstand their maior proposition of anie parte of the will of God not reuealed vnto vs they saye right but sith they speake it and meane it of that that is disclosed vnto vs in his word they speake falsely For as he that knoweth not the will of God either manifested in the law and Gospell and that also concerning such things as appertaine to our saluation or his not reuealed will that is his secret and vnknowne wil to vs in such matters as belong not to our saluation as in the wonderfull gouernement of his Church translation of Empires c. can not be assured of eternall life and this indeede is the state of al the heathen of the world outwardly and of many other besides So one the other side he that knoweth beleeueth obeyeth in some acceptable measure the reuealed will of God for by knowing God we do according to god his word vnderstand beleefe and obedience can not choose but in those fruites of his faith know and be well assured that he is one put a parte to be a plentifull partaker of all Gods graces concerning this life and that which is to come And this is that Christ meaneth when he saith Iohn 17. This is life eternall to know thee to be the only true God and him whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ But the faithfull though they knowe not or be ignorant of the hidden and secret will of God as it is meete indeed they be so yet are very well acquainted with his reuealed and manifested whether it be in the lawe for obedience or in the gospell for faith and therefore cannot be ignorant of the grace of God toward them and their saluation but do certainely know it For to that end was the law manifested at our first creation and afterwards repeated againe that we might know both that there is a God and also what manner of god he is and that he will haue vs to be like vnto himselfe or else that wee shall finde him a sharp and sore punisher of iniquitie and sinne and afterwards the Gospell concerning the Messiah to come was published that so we might both know and be assured of forgiuenesse of sinnes and reconciliation before God And let this suffice for aunswer to the maior Now touching the minor propositiō or assumption cōfirmed by the places before alleadged if we aunswere or truely expound the places we shall then sufficiently perceiue how weake it is for the confirmation of that wherevnto they are alleadged For the place of Isaiah whether we consider the generall drift of the Prophet in that chapter which is to comforte the Church by propounding vnto them manie sweet promises specially in the 11. first verses of the chapter or respect the particular words that they presse yet shall we see that no such thing as the discomfort of doubting or distrust can be inferred therevpon but rather strong and sound consolation for ouer besides the scope of the Prophet already touched the holy Ghost mindeth to shew in ver 12.13 in an excellent and loftie forme of words that the promises before made shall certainely be performed And this confirmation of gods promises is drawn from two speciall places First from a comparison of all creatures with the creator himself whose nature strēgth labour c. do approch nothing neare vnto God and good reason it should so be not onely because that that they haue they haue frō him he is greater then all yea without them able to do what he will this is conteined in the 12.13.14.15.16.17 verses and the other is from a declaration of Gods singular grace and workes vouchsafed particularly to Abraham and to his seede not onelie after the flesh but after the spirite that is to say the Church in the rest of the verses Now in the particular verses before rehearsed there are three arguments of the comparison the first is drawne from the Almightie power of God which is manifested by his creating and sustaining of all things in the 12. verse the second from his infinite and incomprehensible wisedome in the 13. and 14. ver and the third from his infinite maiestie and might in the 15.16.17 ver Now what is ther here that may maintaine doubting or rather may not minister comforte speciallie to his owne people for whom it is prouided and to whome it is pronounced as may appeare by the first verse of the chapter it selfe Or howe doth it confirme that for which it is alleadged that no man knoweth the will of God concerning grace and eternall saluation whereas we see it prooneth rather that God hath no need of man in any respect either to waye and search out his spirit or els as a man of his coūsels or as his counsellour to instruct and teach him And we may almost say the same touching the place of Romanes 11. For the Apostle hauing before that 11. chapter spoken of the reiectiō of the Iewes the election of the Gētiles affirming yet notwithstāding that when the fulnes of the Gentiles was come in the Iewes should for al their present casting of in their posteritiy or successors be called he ceased with that same wonderfull wisdome of God in that heauenly worke or ministery which he would haue men rather religiously to reuerence then curiously and profanely to search after specialy beyond the bondes that God hath reuealed crieth out in the verse going before this and in this and those that followe laboureth hy a threfold bridle as I may say to repres the sacrilegious boldnes of sundry men First because God is most wise which he expresseth in this verse and that therefore it should be most absurd yea vtterly and altogeather wicked to measure him after our owne folly Secondly that he is debter to no man and that he declareth verse 35. but rather surmounteth their wickednes with his goodnesse and that therefore no man can iustly complaine of any iniury that he doth him Thirdly that for his glory sake all things were made verse 36. and that therefore we should referre them all to his glory and at no hand to thinke it safe or lawfull for vs to dispute or reasō the matter with him Now what is here for doubting which is the maine matter or what sentēce or sillable to prooue this that no man knoweth or can knowe Gods minde touching his grace and eternall saluation because God is most wise yea onely wise as the Apostle speaketh 1. Tim. 1 17. shall no man therfore feele his fauour or assure his owne heart that the grace of forgiuenes of sinnes and the blessing of eternall life belōg vnto him Surely it is a lewse and bad consequent and we should be so farre from imbracing of it that we should say vnto it