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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	according_a	pray_v	prayer_n	1,046	5	6.5771	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B03494	Great and precious promises; or, Some sermons concerning the promises, and the right application thereof whereunto are added some other concerning the usefulness of faith in advancing sanctification. As also, three more concerning the faith of assurance. / By Mr. Andrew Gray, late minister of the Gospel in Glasgow. All being revised since his death by some friends.	Gray, Andrew, 1633-1656.; Traill, Robert, 1642-1716.; Stirling, John, b. 1621?	1663 (1663)	Wing G1608A; ESTC R177624	115,304	218

or riches or honour or what ye will in the ballance with the promises they would cry forth what should I profit to gain all these if I lose the promises We shall say no more of this but that the promises are indeed that Aple the eating of which would make us in some respect and in humility be it spoken as God knowing good and evil The promises are these things that doth elevate the soul unto a divine conformity with God And oh that this might be the fruit of them the promises are as cords let down to soul● sinking in the myrie clay and in the horrible pit do but lay hold upon them and ye shall undoubtedly be drawn up and he shall set your feet upon the rock and order all your goings Now we come to speak of the third thing in the words which is the advantage and unspeakable gain that floweth to a Christian through the promises holden forth in these words That by them ye might be made partakers of the divine nature which words doth not hold forth that there is any substantial chance of our natures unto the essence of God but only it holds forth this that the soul that is taken up in believing of the promises they arise unto a likenesse and conformity to him in Holinesse Wisedome and Righteousnesse And as to these advantages that come to a Christian through the promises 1. We must lay this for a ground that the fruit of all cometh to him through believing the promises and in making application of them And the first is That they do exceedingly help and promove that excellent and necessary work of mortification This is clear from the words of the Text As likewise from 2 Cor. 7.1 Having these promises dearly beloved let us clearse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of the Lord. And the influence that the promises have upon Sanctification may be shown unto you in these three First They lay upon a Christian a divine bond and obligation to study holiness that since Christ hath signified and testifi●● His respects unto us in so ample and lar●● a way as to give us such precious promise● we ought to endeavour to study holinesse which is that great reward of love that h● seeketh from us for all things that he hath bestowed and we receive and this is the meaning of that 2 Corinth 7.1 Secondly The strength and furniture of a Christian for fulfilling and accomplishing of the work of Sanctification lyeth within the promises Are not the promises of God unto a Christian as Samsons locks in which their great strength doth ly and if once they cut themselves off from the promises through misbelief their strength doth decay and they become as other men Where must the Christian go to for strength Is it not to the promise Is it not the name of the Lord yea this is the strength of a Christian unto which he must resort continually And thirdly the promises of God they hold forth that unspeakable reward that attendeth that Christian that shall study holinesse There are several promises of the everlasting Covenant that cryeth forth to the Christian to him that overcometh will this promise be accomplished to him that overcometh shall this truth be fulfilled and this doth exceedingly provoke a Christian to wrestle with all his discouragements he meeteth within the way he burieth all his anxieties within the circle of his immortal Crown which he hopeth for and seeth in the promise and his hope maketh him dispence with his wants his expectation maketh him overcome his fears and his looked for joy maketh him to dispence with his sorrows The second advantage is That the faith of the promises do help a Christian to a spiritual and heavenly performance of the duty of prayer and withal mak●th him delight in the performance of it This is clear from 2 Sam. 7.27 where David believing the promises it is subjoyned He found in his heart to pray that prayer unto God and if any will look unto the words of that prayer they will see them running in a heavenly and spiritual strain speaking him one much acquainted with God and under most high and majestick apprehensions of his Glory as is clear also Psal 119 147. I prevented the dawning of the morning and cryed and as if David had said would you know what made me thus fervent and diligent in prayer it was that I hoped in his word and hence it is that he hath so many prayers in that Psalm all were occasioned through the faith of the promises As for instance when he cryed forth Quicken me according to thy word be merciful unto me according to thy word And we conceive the faith of the promises helpeth a Christian in his prayer to these four Divine ingredients of that duty 1. It maketh him pray with faith when once he buildeth his prayer upon the promises then he venteth his prayer with much confidence of hope according to that word Psal 65.3 where ye may see a man believing and praying when he is believing and expressing his confidence m●● strangely in these words As for our tran●gressions thou shalt purge them away It 〈◊〉 not said thou wilt purge them away or we desire that thou should purge them away but thou shalt which speaketh forth both the confidence of Faith and the boldnesse of Faith A Christian that believeth the promises he can take the promise in his hand and present it unto God and say fulfill this promise since thou wilt not deny thy name but art faithfull 2. It maketh a Christian pray with much humility for when he doth understand that there is nothing that he hath but it is the fruit and accomplishment of a promise he doth not boast as those that have received but walketh humbly under his enjoyments this is clear Gen. 32.10 where we may see Jacob speaking to God with much humility and in the ninth verse he is speaking to God with much Faith And 3. It maketh a Christian pray with much love Would you know the great ground that we are so remisse in the exercise of love in prayer it is because we build not our prayers upon the promise And 4. It helpeth a Christian to pray with much fervency When was it that David cryed to God Was it not when he was believing the promise that past to him of old we would not plead with God with such remisnesse if we did believe the promises that are within the Covenant The third advantage is That the faith of the promises doth sometimes uphold a Christian under his spiritual disertions and tentations Is it not certain that sometimes he hath been ready to draw that conclusion I am cast out of his sight and shall no more behold him in the land of the living when a promise hath been born in upon his spirit hath supported him and made him to change his song and to invert his conclusion This is

some Christians there are that some respects are taken up in the exercise Faith making use of Christ for Sanctification and yet their making use of Christ by Faith doth not weaken the strength of their ido● at least to their apprehensions neither 〈◊〉 raise them up to a conformity with God 〈◊〉 that they are constrained somtimes to cry o●● I shall once fall by the hand of one of mine 〈◊〉 quities and when they fight and doth 〈◊〉 overcome they are at last constrained to 〈◊〉 There is no hope The first ground of such a dispensation That a Christian is not constant in his acti●● of Faith he will be strong in saith to 〈◊〉 and when the morrow cometh he will fa●● in that exercise and this doth exceeding interrupt the noble victory of Faith 〈◊〉 when faith hath gotten its advantages 〈◊〉 lose them through security and neglige●● that is a command that should be continu● obeyed Trust in the Lord at all times and doubt if a Christian were more taken 〈◊〉 the constant actings of Faith he should 〈◊〉 times sing that song I trusted in God 〈◊〉 was helped Secondly The most part of Christians they are not strong and vigorous in actings of their Faith their Faith is exceedingly weak and so they cannot bring forth these noble fruits and effects of Faith If we were trusting in God with all our hearts then that promise Psal 37.5 should be accomplished to us Trust in the Lord and he shall bring it to passe Thirdly There is a strong heart conjunction and soul-union between us and our idols we are joyned to our idols and therefore we cannot be easily devorced yea when we are in the heat of the war against them there is a procuratour within that cryeth O spare this little one or this profitable or pleasant one and this is ordinarily our practice to spare the choisest of our lusts so that our Agags may cry forth The bitternesse of death is past But I confesse if that union were once dissolved we should then be heard with greatest earnestnesse to cry forth O blessed be the Lord that teacheth my hands to fight Fourthly Sometimes a Christian layeth too much weight upon the actings of Faith and doth not imploy Faith but as an instrument to which Christ must bestow strength to conquer Sometimes we think that faith hath the vertue of overcoming in its own hand but remember Faith is but an empty thing without Christ as ye may see Act. 15.9 where the purifying their hearts by faith is ascribed to the holy Ghost so that the activity of faith is from him and not in it self Fifthly A Christian doth not hate sin with a perfect hatred even in the time of hi● warfare with his lusts and with these strong idols that are within him but there is a secret heart inclination to that very idol which he doth oppose So that oftentimes there is that twofold contradiction in a Christian Sometimes his light will cry mortifie such an idol and yet his heart will cry O spare such an idol yea more sometime his heart will cry mortifie such an idol and yet his heart will cry O spare such an idol That is to say there will be one part of our affection crying one thing and another part of it will cry another thing O! but there is a remarkable command for the perfect hatred of sin Rom. 12.9 Abhor that which is evil The word is in the Original hate evil as ye would do hell that is have perfect hatred to sin O to hate iniquity as much as hell and joyn that word Eph. 5.11 Reprove the unfruitful works of darknesse or as the word may be rendered Make out by unanswerable arguments to your tentations that you cannor imbrace the unfruitful works of darknesse convince your tentations that ye cannot do it As we suppose it was a noble arguing of Joseph when he was tempted How shall I do this he put the tentation as it were to it O tentation give me on● ground why I should commit such an iniquity And certainly if we were thus reasoning with our tentations they should fl●● before us But the truth is we imbrac● the desire of our tentation upon implic●● faith It is a sad regrate and yet I may u●ter it O if men would but deal with God as they do by Satan we never dispute the promise of Satan and never examine these allurements he setteth forth and yet we consiantly dispute with God upon every thing Sixthly A Christian promoveth not in the growth of Sanctification though in some measure exercising faith because he hath not such a heart to holinesse If we did discover more that excellent beauty that is in being cloathed with that glorious robe of the righteousnesse of Christ and in having the sweet draughts of the Image of Christ engraven upon our hearts we would have more victory over our lusts There is a command for a perfect love to that which is good and holinesse in that same place Rom. 12.9 and cleave saith he to that which is good or as the word may be rendered Be married and glewed to that which is good let there be an unspeakable and indissolvable knot of union between you and that which is good And certainly if once we believed that report which is given of holinesse we would endeavour more to be cloathed with it but that is the great ground why we advance not in holinesse we know not the advantage nor dignity to be made like God O will ye think on it What a thing is it for you who are the dust of his feet to be made conform to him Seventhly A Christian is no● much in the exercise of other duties that should go along with faith suspect that faith for presumption that can act and be maintained without Prayer certainly prayer i● keepeth in the life of Faith Prayer 〈◊〉 that grace that must act mutually with fai● in accomplishing that blessed work of San●●fication and if we prayed more and believ● more then we should have more to spe●● concerning the victory over our lusts Wh● was it O Christian and expectant of heave that ye was constrained to put up an Eben●zer and cry forth Hitherto hath the Lo●● helped me When was it O Christian an● expectant of heaven that ye was put to cr● forth God hath arisen and mine enemies ar● scattered before my face I will tell yo● what is your practice ye make such a cov●nant with your idols as Nahash did with th● men of Jabesh Gilead 1 Sam. 11.2 3. yo● lusts desire to make you pluck out you right eyes and there is nothing your lus● will command you but almost ye will obey but would you send out prayers as a messe●ger to tell the King of such a tyrannie y● should know better what it is to bevictorious There is such a Covenant between th● graces of the Spirit especially between faith and Prayer if so we may allude as was made between Joah and

I come before the Lord and yet we do not know his Commandement is with us that we should do justly love mercy and walk humbly with 〈◊〉 A● third errour is that we are more in talking of Christ then in believing in him or closing with him Some of us think to win to hea●●n by discourses if we can talk of Christ ●e think all is without debate or controversie but alas there are many who were sweet talkers of Christ that are cursing Him this day in hell And I would only say this by the way if there be any of you that have win to any soul perswasion of your interest in Christ I intreat you if you can put the conclusion upon record that in such a day of such a Month and such a Year of God you then did win to cry out I am my beloveds and he is mine It seemeth to have been Davids practice Psal 16.2 O my soul thou hast said unto the Lord thou art my Lord and it was Jeremiahs practice Lam. 3.24 The Lord is my portion saith my soul I say ye should even mark that conclusion as they did that when tentations come and begin● to assault you ye may look to your record that ye have set down and be ashamed to misbelieve It is true that for a little while our assurance at best will be but ebbing and flowing but I hope ere long we shall be above the reach of misbelief and above 〈◊〉 ●●●ch of fears I hope ere long we shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no more we shall be jealous no more 〈◊〉 we shall question our interest no more 〈◊〉 ●hen all our disputings and questionings shall ●e sweetly drowned in that infinit ocean of ●ernal delight and fruition of God O 〈◊〉 ●ectants of heaven expectants of heaven are ●e not ●●king after this day are ye not look●ng after it I know not what we do here 〈◊〉 we be not walking forward every day he i● upon his way O to see him we will even ●and and wonder at him I hope the day i●●oming when we shall never lose our grips of Christ any more he is coming he is coming 〈◊〉 ●nd I think if Christ would give a Passe we would long to go hence O what streets are these that are there is there any here who is ●roaning for heaven be of good comfort I ●ope ere long he shall come he shall come ●nd wash all tears from our eyes Now at the last occasion when we spake ●pon these words we ●old you that there ●as five or six things which we intended to ●onsider in them The first was that such 〈◊〉 thing as a distinct and well grounded per●●asion of our interest in Christ was artain●ble and of this we have already spoken The second thing is That concerning thing ●oble and excellent thing assurance there●●●re many mistakes among the people of●●●●d and to make this evident it is clear first 〈◊〉 this Text from that serious and acorate●●arch in this matter which the Apostl●●●●tteth these people unto as we cleared unto you from the force of the words and his doubling of these exhortations T●y your own selves prove your own selv●● 2. From the many commands which the Lord hath left upon record that we should not be mistaken concerning our assurance 1 Cor. 3.18 Let no man deceive himself Gal. 6.3 If a man think himself to be something when he is nothing he deceiveth himself and therefore doth the Apostle adde Let every one prove his own work and vers 7. Be not deceived 3. The point is clear from this that we find in Scripture many who have been mistaken most dreadfully in the matter of their assurance Hos 8. Israel cryeth out my God we know thee and yet Israel was in a great mistake for in the words following vers 3. Israel had cut off the thing that was good and Prov. 30. vers 12. we find there A generation that are pure in their own eyes and yet are not washed from their iniquities 4. It is clear from this that it is a great design of Satan the great deceiver that we might be mistaken about that noble and weighty point of our Assurance of being in Christ Is there not a power given unto him from Christ to deceive the Nations I may say that in no point doth he more prevail to deceive us then in this if profanity kill its thousands delusion kills ten thousands this delusion its twenty thousands Lastly Doth not this prove how much a Christian may be mistaken in the matter of his Assurance even that name which is given to our hearts Jer. 17. ver 9. It is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked and who can know it no doubt this may show 〈◊〉 though there were no more how 〈◊〉 our hearts are to deceive us making us 〈◊〉 entertain a delusion in stead of truth and i●●● brace a shadow in stead of substance The next thing that we have to speak 〈◊〉 you upon this point is to show you whe●● these mistakes do lye and what are the●● false grounds by which so many do decei●● their own souls in this matter and her●● there are two sorts of persons whom we must inform 1. There be some who upon mos● unwarrantable grounds do conclude that their interest in Christ is sure when indee●● it is not 2. There be some upon the othe●● hand who from sad mistakes of themselved and the Lords dealing towards them 〈◊〉 that they have an interest when indeed they have The first sort are the worst and in the most dangerous condition and they build upon these six false foundations which we beseech them to consider The first is their supposed sensible e●● joyments some Christians in these times esp●cially do meet with some flashes of light and joy which they have not been it may be acquainted with before or at least not 〈◊〉 such a measure or in such a sensible mann●●● and upon this they presently cry forth 〈◊〉 beloved is mine and I am his I shall no●● dispute with such about the reality of these enjoyments or how they came to know tha●● these are such as proceed from a saving wo●●● of the Spirit of Grace but waving th●●● 〈◊〉 give me leave to say this much of 〈◊〉 enjoyments and sensible manifestations as to the point in hand they may be sometime a good supporter to underprop a Christians assurance when it tottereth but never a good foundation whereon he may lay the first stone of that building and therefore he is the wiser Christian who first tryeth the reality of his interest in Christ by other blessed fruits of righteousnesse and holinesse before he trust the reality of sensible enjoyments how sweet or comfortable soever they may seem to be 2. Some build their assurance upon the number and bulk of their duties without confidering the frame of their spirit and the principle from which they flow they use prayer and reading and conference they wait upon Ordinances and are

one visit if He would let us alone But O if we were within sight of our interest in Christ how often would this be our complaint when he were absent They have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him or my idol hath carried me away from Him and I know not where to find Him Thirdly Assurance of our being in Christ will put us to the exercise of praise believe it I think this is one of the most searching evidences of assurance There are some Christians they will be convinced for the neglect of duty of prayer but for the neglect of the duty of praise they never have one conviction and I tell you the reason of it prayer is a selfish grace so to speak but praise is a denying grace prayer secketh but praise giveth Exod. 15.2 He is my God I will prepare him an habitation and he is my fathers God I will exalt him Psal 118.28 He is my God I will praise him he is my God I will exalt him What needeth David these repetitions might not one serve No saith he I would even spend my dayes in this My God my God there is much of heaven in that word My God and love committeth many sweet hatoligies Now I say to thee was thou ever put to the heart exercise of praise by this assurance that thou hast this is an evidence indeed but ala● ma●● of us cannot say it Fourthly A person that liveth wi●●● sight of his interest Christ is matchlesse 〈◊〉 him as is clear Song 2.3 I sate down 〈◊〉 his shadow there is faith and assurance of 〈◊〉 and what accompanieth that As the a●●● tree among the trees of the wood so is my 〈◊〉 loved among the sons Christ hath no● 〈◊〉 match saith the Spouse in his sweetness● his power his beauty and his usefulnesse 〈◊〉 above all Fifthly Real assurance is a humbli●● thing the assurance of a Christian make 〈◊〉 him to sit low in the dust Was not Jac●● low in his own eyes when he cryed out 〈◊〉 am lesse then the least of all thy mercies Wha● 〈◊〉 was not David low in his own eyes wh●● he ●●●ke that word What am I and what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●hers house that thou hast brought me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and was not Paul a low man in 〈◊〉 own eyes Eph. 3.8.16 I am lesse then th● least of all thy Saints and when he cry●● out I am the chief of sinners The assuranc● that is real it will make a Christian to 〈◊〉 down in the dust and cry out Wo is me 〈◊〉 am a man of polluted lips Sixthly Real assurance will put him 〈◊〉 take much pleasure and delight in the go●●● about of duties that word Psal 40 〈◊〉 ●y God saith he that is his assurance 〈◊〉 ●●●ently he subjoyneth I delight to do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Lord this he speaketh of himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 off and likewise as a type of Ch●●● Psal 119.115 Depart from me evil do●rs ●or I will keep the commandements of my God I believe it the love of Christ when it is much in exercise it will constrain us to our ●uty and therefore this proud transpor●ing assurance in these dayes that setteth men above all duties and Ordinances and make 〈◊〉 them count the Gospel as well as the Law 〈◊〉 beggerly rudiments and cry out to their 〈◊〉 ●ours Stand aback for I am holier then them must needs be a delusion Lastly There are these three 〈…〉 of a real assurance it is a begotten ●●●rance 〈◊〉 is a living assurance and it is a constraining assurance The first two properties of 〈◊〉 are set down in that 1 Pet. 1.2 He hath begotten us to a lively hope Who begat that assurance in thee I suppose some have assurance and it was begotten without travel but if Christ be not the father of thy assurance it will evanish and passe away And secondly it must be a living assurance some hearts are dead as a stone and yet they say they have the hope of heaven And thirdly 〈◊〉 must be a constraining assurance it will ●ut the Christian to do what he commands ●ea if it were the most pleasant Isaac that we have if he commandeth us to sacrifice it we would put a knife to the throat of it and ●e willing to offer it up Now after all these evidences I desire 〈◊〉 ●●ve a report from you concerning your ●●ate What think ye of your selves are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ or no I suppose if Christ 〈◊〉 come here to day and put us all to the 〈◊〉 but these that are in Christ we would 〈◊〉 a thin assembly I confesse I wonder 〈◊〉 that word doth not make us to walk 〈◊〉 sadnesse Many are called but few are chos● Now I ask this question at you all as in 〈◊〉 fight of God and as ye will one day ans●● unto him that will be your Judge W●●● think ye of your selves Is there none 〈◊〉 that can give a present positive answer 〈◊〉 this Are ye in Christ I suppose this if were to go round them that are here 〈◊〉 ask are ye in Christ are ye and ye in Chri●● O! I doubt much if there should be m●● negative answers within the doors we have so strong a faith some of us that since 〈◊〉 were born we never doubted of it But 〈◊〉 think without commending doubting 〈◊〉 may say the faith that thou never doubte● of is too like a delusion and the faith tha● thou never took pains to keep and yet i● keeped it self that is too like a delusion th● faith that never knew what it was to put the● to real seeking of Christ is too like a delusio● But let me close with this be your esta●● what it will search and come away I thi●● that is one of the most Gospel invitations th●● is in all the Scripture Lam. 3.34 Let us sea●● and try our wayes and turn again unto th● Lord When thou hast searched come away for I tell thee this there will be nothing th●● will commend thee to Christ so much as necesity and I hope there is none of you but 〈◊〉 have enough of this and know it if ye 〈◊〉 not come to Christ he will compell you to come but it shall not be for your advantage to stay away till ye be compelled O persons that are out of Christ Come away O persons that are in Christ Come away we must preach that word Come away unto you as long as ye are here till ye come and be fixed as a pillar in the house of God and go no more out O study to be near him O Christian didst thou ever think upon this and say with thy self O when shall I have immediate imbraces of blessed Christ When shall there be nothing between my heart and Him till then we never get Christ near enough there is alway something between Him and us till we be above the Clouds O these immediate soul infoldings and imbracings of Christ Are ye never sending a messenger to heaven desiring