Selected quad for the lemma: end_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
end_n	praise_v	psal_n	verse_n	1,581	5	10.2687	5	false

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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

that are weak Contrary to that Caution in 1 Cor. 8. 9. He seldom braggeth or boasteth of the spirit as if he had ingrossed him in a greater measure then other men have Yet he both liveth in the spirit and walketh in the spirit not desirous of vain-glorie not provoking others not envying others According to St. Pauls Admonition Gal. 5. 25 26. And withall he is so truely sensible of his own weaknesse and so desirous of Gods glory that he rather chuseth to glory in his infirmities that so the power of Jesus Christ may the more manifestly appear in him to the praise and glory of Almighty God That which seemeth but a light sin to other men lies heavy upon his heart Yet not for fear of damnation that is the unbelievers terrour But for other more Christian considerations As first because he knoweth that all sin is odious and offensive to his Lord and Master And what wretch would by any means displease so wise so great so gracious and so good a God How can I do this great wickednesse and sin against God saith discreet prosperous Joseph Gen. 39. 9. Secondly because he would prevent or avoid correction Not that he despiseth or disliketh his heavenly fathers chastizement But for as much as no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyons but grievous Heb. 12. 11. Thirdly least he should discontinue the favour and defence of the Lord his Protectour Behold saith the Prophet the Lords hand is not shortened that it cannot save neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear But your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear Isa 59. 1 2. Fourthly he feareth to commit sin least by that means he should diminish his confidence in his God especially when he is to present himself before the Lord in prayer Beloved if our heart condemne us not then have we confidence towards God and whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his Commandment and do that which is pleasing in his sight saith that beloved Disciple 1 Joh. 3. 21 22. And fifthly least thereby he should bring dishonour to his blessed Master For if while we s●ek to be justified by Christ we our selves also are found sinners is therefore Christ the M●ni●●er of sin God forbid saith the Apostle Gal. 2. 17. Furthermore this loving believer is very frequent and fervent in the exercise of holy duties the duties of piety and true devotion As hearing reading praying praising and thanks-giving with the like godly imployments Not that he expecteth thereby to deserve or obtain this eternal inheritance But that by so doing he may keep and continue himself in a sweet Communion with his God in Christ For by hearing and reading he findeth God speaking unto him in his own language whereby he wonderfully increaseth and improveth his knowledge and acquaintance both with God and his will untill the Holy Scriptures have made him wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus according to St. Paul 2 Tim. 3. 15. By prayer and supplication he poureth out his Soul into the bosome of his heavenly father unto whom he freely discovereth all his wants humbly presenteth all his Petitions and from whom he is alwayes sure to receive a gracious answer and a comfortable return Haply not altogether according to his own imperfect desires But more happily according to Gods most perfect wisdom and bounty Who knoweth to give good things to them that ask him Mat. 7. 11. And who giveth liberally to all men and upbraideth not saith St. James Ja. 1. 5. In praising God first he presenteth him with that which of right belongeth unto him The Lord is worthy to be praised saith David Psal 18. 3. And secondly he glorifieth God the end for which he was created Isa 43. 7. Who so offereth praise glorifieth me saith the Lord by his Prophet Psal 50. 23. And in giving thanks unto the Lord he offereth up himself unto his God in a sweet sacrifice of retribution I will praise the name of God with a song and will magnifie him with thanksgiving This also shall please the Lord better then an Ox or Bullock that hath horns and hoofs saith that sweet singer Psal 69. 30 31. Thus you see that the life of this loving believer is neither a sluggish life nor a slavish life nor a sinfull life nor a solitary life First it is not a sluggish life For he is a vessel unto honour sanctified and meet for his Masters use and prepared unto every good work as in 2 Tim. 2. 21. Secondly it is not a slavish life For he standeth fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made him free as Gal. 5. 1. Thirdly it is not a sinfull life For how shall he that is dead to sin live any longer therein as Rom. 6. 2. And fourthly it is not a solitary life For he hath continual Communion with his God In whose presence is fulnesse of joy and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore as Psal 16. 11. Now if you ask this loving believer what he can alledge for himself in order to this title of inheritance He will tell you that he cannot finde any thing either in himself or any of his antecessours that may promise him the least possibility of interest therein Neither hath he so much as one pennyworth of any thing that is his own to offer towards the purchase of that Land of the living Indeed he understandeth that Originally it was conferred upon his Great-Grand-Father Adam and his Heirs in general by God that great and onely disposer of all things upon condition of Adams obedience to the mind and will of his Master But by his rebellion he forfeited his Coppy-hold whereupon the Justice of God ejected him and for ever utterly debarred both himself and all his whole Posterity from the capacity of a legal recovery But he knoweth that Jesus Christ the Son of God hath purchased the Fee-simple of that inheritance at the hands of his coeternal Father And hath promised a possession therein to every one that believeth as Iohn 6. 47. and 1 Iohn 5. 10 11. And what he hath so promised he hath also sworn to perform For being willing more abundantly to shew unto the Heirs of promise the immutability of his Councel he confirmed it by an Oath That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us which hope we have as an anchor of the Soul both sure stedfast and which entreth into that within the vail whither the fore-runner is for us entred even Iesus made an High-Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec Heb. 6. 17 18 19 20. And as for this believers evidence It is a justifying and a saving faith And this he saith is likewise the gift of God According to

deliver you up to be afflicted saith he and shall kill you and ye shall be hated of all Nations for my name sake And then shall many be offended and shall betray one another and shall hate one another And many false Prophets shall arise and deceive many And because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold But he that shall endure to the end the same shall be saved verse 13. And unto the Angel of the Church in Smyrna Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer behold the Devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tried and ye shall have tribulation ten dayes be thou faithfull unto death and I will give thee a Crown of life Rev. 2. 10. In like manner the Apostle Paul confirming the Souls of the Disciples tells them That we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God Acts 14. 22. And thus the Apostle Peter Beloved saith he Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing hapned unto you But rejoyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding joy 1 Pet. 4. 12. 13. But you will say These are sad invitations either to perswade unto faith or to continue in the faith I answer that I wonder not if they seem so to a common apprehension to such a one as is led meerly by sense and the light of nature unto which these things are so extreamly irksome and offensive But if we shall take the Spirit of God for our guide and shall thereby be inabled to judge not according to the appearance but to judge righteous judgement as our Lord adviseth Joh. 7. 24. We shall then finde that these sad-seeming preparations do proceed from very necessary principles For afflictions and crosses of all kindes do first direct us towards faith Secondly they do bring us unto faith And thirdly they doe continue us in faith First I say they do direct us towards faith and that through these three passages As first through making us sensible of our sins When the Sons of Jacob were distressed in the Land of Egypt they then considered the sin that they had many years before committed against their brother Joseph in the Land of Canaan And they said one to another we are verily guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the anguish of his Soul when he besought us and we would not hear therefore is this distresse come upon us Gen. 42. 21. And thus the Church in the Lamentations Woe unto us that we have sinned for this our heart is faint for these things our eyes are dim Lam. 5. 16. 17. Secondly through humbling us for our sinnes This we see in the example of Manasseh who being formerly of an abominable conversation yet when he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers 2 Chron. 33. 12. And in that confession of his Church We lie down in our shame and our confusion covereth us for we have sinned against the Lord our God Jer. 3. 25. And thirdly through breaking us off from the course of our former errours and iniquities Bofore I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy word saith David Psal 119. 62. And the same Prophet speaking concerning the wicked The Lord saith he shall hear and afflict them for because they have no changes therefore they fear not God Psal 55. 19. Secondly distresses and afflictions do lead us unto faith and that by shewing us the unhappinesse of the world and of all worldly expectations either inward or outward in our selves or from others And so by sending us to the Lord for sure consolation My flesh and my heart faileth me but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever saith good David Ps 73. 26. The Son dishonoureth the Father the Daughther riseth up against her Mother the Daughter in Law against her Mother in Law a mans enemies are the men of his own house Therefore I will look unto the Lord I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will hear me saith his afflicted Church Mic. 7. 6 7. When the ship is covered with Waves then the Disciples run unto Christ saying Lord save us we perish Mat. 8. 25. And he whom we call the Prodigal being pinched by the extremity of want and necessity resolved to return unto his father Luke 15. 18. And thirdly corrections or afflictions do continue us in the faith by assuring us of Gods love and fatherly affection In disposing of our afflictions In comforting us in our afflictions And In delivering us out of our afflictions First in disposing our afflictions or in visiting us with afflictions as fatherly chastisements For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth If ye endure chastening God dealeth with you as with Sons for what Son is he whom the Father chasteneth not But if ye be without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye Bastards and not Sons Hebr. 12. 6 7 8. And as many as I love I rebuke and chasten saith the Son of God Rev. 3. 19. Secondly afflictions do continue us in the faith by assuring us of Gods love in comforting us in our afflictions In all their affliction he was afflicted and the Angel of his presence saved them in his love and in his pity he redeemed them and he bare them and carried them all the dayes of old saith the Prophet Isa 63. 9. And thus the Apostle Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort who comforteth us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God 2 Cor. 1. 3 4. And thirdly by assuring us of Gods love in delivering us out of our afflictions Many are the afflictions of the righte us but the Lord delivereth him out of them all Psal 34. 19. And the same Prophet having recorded many great deliverances which the Lord usually worketh for his people in their several distresses and extremities in his 107. Psalm he concludeth with this Rule of direction whoso is wise saith he and will observe those things even they shall understand the loving kindnesse of the Lord verse 43. And he that rightly understandeth the loving kindnesse of the Lord will certainly rely upon him by faith as an everlasting and infallible refuge But you will say Is this all the happinesse that a Believer must expect in this life Doth not the Apostle tell us That godlinesse is profitable unto all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. To the first part of this question I answer That there is such solid happinesse in affliction