Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	abraham_n	work_n	wrought_v	5,418	5	9.4241	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75725	The heavenly trade, or the best merchandizing the only way to live well in impoverishing times. A discourse occasioned from the decay of earthly trades, and visible wastes of practical piety in the day we live in, offering arguments and counsels to all, towards a speedy revival of dying godliness and timely prevention of the dangerous issues thereof impending on us. By Bartholomew Ashwood Minister of the Gospel.	Ashwood, Bartholomew, 1622-1680.	1678 (1678)	Wing A3999A; ESTC R204336	280,447	512

of debt we cannot merit Fourthly We have nothing to merit withal for we are not our own 1 Cor. 6. 19. Man hath nothing to give to God who is not his own but God's as all redeemed ones especially are Believers are his servants Rom. 14. 4. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant And a servant is not his own his time strength capacity work are his Masters so are the Saints duties the Lord's not by way of legal compact and requital of wages but by way of redemption right and purchase being bought out of the service of sin and Satan to his own use and the service of such is a due already upon a former score a debt of thankfulness and cannot merit a reward Beside what can they give to God who have nothing but what they receive from God 1 Cor. 4. 7. Who hath first given to him and it shall be recompensed to him again for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory for ever Fifthly Were rewards due to any upon the account of his work then man had something to glory of in himself and might say of Heaven as Nebuchadnezzar did of Babylon Dan. 4. 30. Is not this great Babylon which I have built for the house of the Kingdom by the might of my power and for the honour of my Majesty So might such say when they come to Heaven Is not this the mansion I prepared and deserved by my duties and graces for my glory and blessedness For self-justiciaries though they are forced to say that their grace is given of God yet they boast of the improvements of this grace as theirs and glory is due to the improvement of grace they say and not to the bare grace or talent and though they are driven to confess Christ's merit yet they shuffle and say Christ merited for them that they might merit But that is contrary to the Gospel which tells us That 't is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy Rom. 9. v. 16. And 't is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. And that no flesh should glory in his presence 1 Cor. 1. 29. And therefore God hath chosen the foolish weak and base things of this world and things that are not of purpose to prevent this self-glorying before him verse 17 18. And the Apostle makes this reason why Abraham was not justified by Works but by Faith cause then he would have something to glory in but this could not be Rom. 4. 2. If Abraham were justified by works he had something to glory in but not before God So that the Saints though they have a reward of their work yet it is not for their work 't is a reward not of debt but of grace yea of glorious grace according to your work Christians God will not give you a jot less than the utmost of what your love and faithfulness comes to Your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. 58. He will not fail of any of his Promises or disappoint you of your expected end but will be better than your hopes You will say in that day of compensation Who hath begotten me all these Isa 49. 21. Whence is this to me Luk. 1. v. 43. When saw we thee an hungred Mat. 26. v. 37. Glory is a mighty thing infinitely above all your labours Christians Heaven will make amends for all your duties and losses and abundantly compensate and exceed all your expences for God in the world And have you not reason to set about the work of grace and drive on the employments of this Heavenly Trade Quest But what is this heavenly work which Wisdom's Merchants must be driving on every day Sol. I answer First in the general Heavenly work is that work which hath a heavenly Author and Principle a heavenly rule and a heavenly end work wrought of God by his Spirit Joh. 3. 21. Work done according to the will of God and by Scripture-rule Col. 4. 12. Work wrought for God and designed purely and ultimately to his glory 1 Cor. 10. 31. But more particularly heavenly works may be considered under these two heads First Such as are heavenly in the matter of them as well as manner and end Secondly Such works as though earthly in the matter of them yet are done in a heavenly manner and to an heavenly end First That 's heavenly work which is of a heavenly nature matter and manner and end as all those religious duties are which respect God our selves and others First Drive on that work every day which hath God himself for its first and more immediate object as all acts of religious worship both natural and instituted moral and positive Mat. 4. 10. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve This is due to God from all his rational and intelligent creatures both Men and Angels to worship him only with that reverential fear faith love hope and delight which is due to him as the Supreme Majesty of Heaven and Earth the great Creator and Conservator of all his creatures and to serve him with that subjection and obedience as their relation to God their Sovereign calls for This is the duty of all persons especially those that profess their owning of God and choice of him to be their God in Christ and peculiar treasure Deut. 13. 6. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God and serve him and swear by his name Christians to let out your hearts upon the world relations self and creatures is to rob God of his service and to commit Idolatry with the creature Think this when my heart runs out to things below God and my affections hope trust and delight get over their banks and break their due bounds and subordinacy to God when I fondly dote upon and take pleasure abstractively from God in any creatures then do I deal treacherously with my God I rob him and give his glory to another Isa 48. 11. O set habitually your hearts on God and let out your faith love hope fear desires and delighting pleasures on God every day yea all the day long as your chiefest good supreme Sovereign and last end Prov. 27. 17. Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long Again external acts of divine worship are part of thy every days work which thou owest to God and to be duly and daily performed to him as to pray hear and read his sacred word These are that honour homage and service that is due to God every day especially morning and evening Prov. 8. 34. Deut. 6. 7. Exod. 30. 7. 1 Chron. 23. 30. Ezek. 46. 13 14 15. Amos 4. 4. 1 Chron. 16. 40. Psal 55. 17. This is the daily burnt-offering to be prepared for the Lord Exod. 29. 38 39. Morning and evening the vows that are to be daily performed Psal 61. 8. God's

before your enemies will down and more strokes at your work before your interests will come in Running striving wrestling in labours more abundant in weariness and painfulness in watchings What pains will men take for the World She riseth also while it is night Her candle goeth not out by night That neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes Ye compass Sea and Land and should they not much more for Heaven The most diligent soul is the most thriving soul Always abounding in the work of the Lord instant in season and out of season taking every opportunity for Heaven And what their hand finds to do to do it with all their might this is the way to soul-thriving 1 Cor. 9. 24 25. Heb. 12. 4. Eph. 6. 12. 1 Cor. 11. 23 27. Prov. 31. 15. 18. Eccles 8. 16. Matth. 23. 15. Eccles 9. 10. Thirdly Driving a secret Trade of holiness is soul-thriving Men that have some peculiar art and unknown mystery in their Trade which is not ordinary and common usually get greatest custom and advantage So is it in this heavenly Trade the more men are taken up in the mysteries of Godliness 1 Tim. 3. 16. the more they thrive in Religion There 's a secret in holiness which no stranger intermeddles with Prov. 14. 10. There 's a way within the veil the hidden part in which souls are made to know wisdom Psal 51. 6. Hidden riches of secret places which thriving Christians meet with Isa 45. 3. If you would prosper in Godliness be sure to maintain the secret duties of piety The religion of most men lies in the Market place and in the view of others their hearts their closets are not privy to any secret transactions between God and their souls and in the praise of men they have their reward but the thriving trade of Christianity is the secret trade Christians be most in those duties which men least observe and chiefly excellent in the invisible part of your visible work Publick duties are most honourable but secret duties the most gainful Matth. 6. 4. And thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly Fourthly The blessing of God maketh rich Prov. 10. 22. Promotion cometh not from the East nor from the West nor prosperity from mens fingers ends but from God's hand Deut. 28. 8 10 11 12. The Lord shall command his blessing upon thee in thy store-houses and in all which thou settest thy hand unto The Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods The Lord shall open to thee his good treasures the Heavens to give thee rain to thy Land in his season and to bless all the work of thy hand and then comes riches And thou shalt lend udto many Nations and thou shalt not borrow Prosperity both spiritual and temporal comes at God's sending Psal 118. 25. O Lord I beseech thee send now prosperity Psal 18. 32 33. He restoreth my Soul he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness Psal 23. 3 5. Thou anointest my head with Oil Thou blessest the springing thereof thy paths drop fatness Psal 65. 10 11. The Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfy thy soul in drought and make fat thy bones and thou shalt be like a watred Garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not Isa 58. 11. I will be as the dew to Israel he shall grow as the Lilly and cast forth his root as Lebanon Hos 14. 5. Secure an interest in the promises and get your souls brought under the showers of blessing if ever you think to thrive in godliness Improve thriving graces and take prosperous courses these are under a promise of blessing though every grace and duty do in their measure help on soul-prosperity yet there are some graces and duties have a more special influence on spiritual thrivings First Faith is a soul-prospering grace 2 Chr. 20. 20. Believe in the Lord your God so shall ye be established believe his Prophets so shall ye prosper Eph. 6. 16. Above all take the shield of Faith wherewith ye shall quench all the fiery darts of Satan 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 insuper Bez. Every grace is useful in the spiritual warfare but Faith especially other graces may with Saul slay their thousands but Faith with David slays its ten thousands Some darts may be quenched by other graces but Faith quenches fiery darts yea all the fiery darts of Satan which does wonderfully further thriving The just shall live by Faith Heb. 10. 38. Faith will maintain the soul's life in the greatest straits and exigences Faith is a receiving grace it takes in whatever is laid up in the promise and that 's thriving Gal. 3. 22. That the promise by Faith might be given to them that believe A soul-enriching grace rich in Faith Jam. 2. 5. A working grace And the work of Faith with power 2 Thes 2. 4. A powerful grace it gives the soul experience of the mighty power of God Eph. 1. 19. 20. What is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead 1 Thes 2. 13. 'T is a strengthning grace Out of weakness were made strong Heb. 11. 34. through it doth the Lord let out his abundant grace And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 1. 14. It doth exceedingly nourish the soul in grace and edify it to salvation 1 Tim. 4. 6. Nourished up in the words of Faith 1. Tim. 1 4. Which minister questions rather than edifying which is in Faith One reason why souls prosper no more in piety is their unbelief they are full of doubtings fears and questionings upon every turn still wavering as a wave of the Sea such cannot receive much at the hand of God but are still weak and going back in Religion Be much in believing the promises against hope and above fears if ever you think to prosper in Religion Secondly Love to God his Name ways and interest is a Soul-prospering Grace Let them that love him be as the Sun that goeth forth in his might Judg. 5. 31. They shall prosper that love thee Psal 122. 6. Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee for thou Lord wilt bless the righteous with favour wilt thou compass him as with a Shield Psal 5. 11 12. Love to God must needs be a prospering Grace because it brings the Soul under the blessing of God and within the compass of his securing Shield Love is a Soul-strengthning and establishing Grace Eph. 3. 17 Being rooted and grounded in Love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set in a firm ground not easily shaken from God or their integrity Love makes a growing Soul Eph. 4. 15 Speaking the truth in love may grow up in him who is the head in all things It helps on edification in Grace ver 16. maketh encrease of the body unto the edifying of it self

who keepest up this Trade for Heaven and thrivest therein here hast thou marks of a Prosperous Trade in Godliness and several Doubts cleared up about thy Soul-thrivings with those Important Duties opened which this Peculiar Mercy calls for Gather out of this Garden what Physick or Food thou needest and Apply and Improve it praying for the Assistance of that Spirit that hath been frequently and solemnly begged both for the Forming and Blessing of this Discourse unto all that read it You who have been Hearers of this Subject though in somewhat different Expressions suited to your Capacity and Advantage in the Delivery of it have reason above others to Receive and Improve this Message Twice sent unto you But you Especially my dear Friends the Care of whose Souls is upon me for whose sake chiefly these Truths were at first Delivered and are now made Publick have the most obliging reasons to get them Copied out upon your Hearts and in your Lives To you Firstly more Especially yea most Affectionately was and is this Word of salvation fent and presented again to your View that you might have these things abiding with you and that they might live in your Eye which have founded in your Ear and be speaking to you when I shall be removed out of your sight and be beyond all Capacity to serve your precious and immortal Souls that when I can plead no more for God or with you I may in this be speaking to you and others in the behalf of Christ and glorious though despised Holiness This has been the prevailing Argument with me to discover my weakness to the World and expose my self to the censure or scorn of some I have the greatest reason to expect from you the Entertainment of these Truths who have chosen and received me in the Lord to declare the Gospel of his Son to you You also have known my Labours Infirmities and Afflictions with you and for your sake that for Twenty years space I have served you in the Gospel in reproach wants weaknesses dangers and sufferings neither count I my life dear unto my self so that I may finish my course with joy and the Ministery which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testifie the Gospel of the grace of God yea being so affectionately desirous of you I have been willing to have imparted to you not the Gospel of God onely but also my own Soul Because you were dear unto me you know and have acknowledged the suitableness of this Subject unto your own Cases and how evidently the condition of most of you is opened here and suited by the convictions counsels reprehensions consolations of this discourse there are some among you that I am jealous of with a godly jealousie lest I should have laboured in vain for you and your minds be corrupted from the simplicity of the Gospel through the temptations of this present world I have often cried aloud in your ears against the sin and have warned you of the danger of an earthly spirit and conversation and do tell you now even weeping that such are enemies to the Cross of Christ who mind earthly things until you are crucified to the world you have no saving benefit of the cross of Christ or can ever behold the face of God in heaven until you are redeemed from the earth all your Profession Parts Duties and Enjoyments will be but so many Witnesses against you if after all you are lovers of this present World Coveting to be rich will also make your Souls poor and deprive you of the refreshments of his presence and consolations of his blessed spirit and will be a manifest evidence that you have little of those pleasures that are from above 'T was faid of pious Mr. Bain That he sought not great matters in the World being taken up with comforts and griefs to which the World was a stranger The more a Soul converses in heaven and lives upon the first fruits of the other world the less will he be taken with things below when Abraham came to live by faith and in a view of that City whose Maker and Builder is God the Plains of Sodom and Spoils of Canaan were to him but mean things I never cared much for the world saith one since I came to know better things You have tasted that the Lord is gracious you have fed on the fat things of his house and have found a day in his Courts better than a thousand elsewhere and must be self-condemned if you prefer not God above Ten thousand Worlds and count the enjoyment of himself riches enough yea if you esteem not the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt 'T was a brave speech of that noble Galeatius when he had left his Honour Interest and Relations for Christ and the Gospel sake I have saith he riches honour and joy enough while in this Cottage I may live in the Church of God enjoy his Word and People and have time to converse with God by holy meditation and with my Friends about Gods great goodness to me in my Conversion cursed for ever be that Religion which weds men to the World and divorces them from God There are others of you I fear fallen back in your spiritual state former days were better than now and the shadow gone back some degrees upon the Dial of your hearts who it may be have left your first love have lost your spiritual taste more dead to the things of God Cold and Formal in Duty possibly you have hid your face from God and he hath compassed himself with a cloud before you You have neglected your walks with God and he hath with-held converse with you For the recovery of such from whence they have fallen to their first love and labours is part of this Discourse framed hear what the Spirit saith therein Attend and Obey those Counsels return to your first love and do your first works least the Lord take the Candlestick out of his place and leave you in that wilderness into which you wander Some of you who are fearers of God yet walk in darkness and see no light have your continual Exercises and frequent Complaints that he who should have comforted your souls is removed far from you My Advice to you is to walk in the light when you sit in darkness and wait for the light when the even shadows are upon you 'T is but a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry the Son of righteousness is upon his journey towards you and 't will not be long ere it be risen upon you Are there any of you who have better days does your Bow abide in strength are your Affections warm towards your Beloved and your hearts sometimes burn within you while he is talking to you in his Word Do you long for his Appearance and delight in his Presence and press hard after him in his Appointments Do you love the Word

for Heaven the greater regard you have from God the more of his presence is with you his delight in you and blessing upon you the Spouses growth and fruitfulness was much taking upon the heart of Christ How fair and how pleasant art thou O Love for delights Cant. 7. 6 7. This thy stature is like to a Palm-tree and thy breasts to clusters of grapes The Palm-tree is an emblem of growth and fruitfulness the more it is opprest the more it grows and no tree more fruitful 't is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alway having leaves Naturalists say 't is never without leaves and fruit when some fruit is ripe as Pliny tells us other fruit is growing It hath leaves in the highest branches wherever the sweet sap comes saith Alsted 'T is a tree that 's exceeding profitable some reckon three hundred and sixty advantages that this Palm-tree yields o In fructuum jam maturorum locum alii fructus eodem in loco eadem parte statim succedunt Plin. and hence the Egyptians make it a symbole of the solar year which consists of three hundred sixty five daies and its fruit is wonderfully restorative and nourishing repairing the decayed strength and radical moisture of man's body Alsted Theol. Nat. and therefore a fit metaphor to express the Church's fruitfulness in which the Lord Jesus takes such great delight he gets up early to the Vineyard to see if the Vine flourish whether the tender grape appear and the Pomegranate bud forth Cant. 7. 12. So delightful is the view of a flourishing people unto Christ The more you thrive in grace the more will you have of Christ's company and that 's honourable Eighthly The greater Trade you drive for Heaven the more useful you are while on Earth the larger capacities you have to do good to others and to serve your generation which is a blessed thing 'T is more blessed to give than to receive Acts 20. 35. 1 Tim. 6. 17 18. Charge them that are rich in this world that they do good that they be rich in good works that they be ready to distribute willing to communicate The richer you are in grace the more able you are to do good and not only able but the more willing also The reason Christians have no more heart to do good and to communicate is their soul-poverty they are not rich in grace they have but little spiritual Treasure little grace to communicate their hands are shut because their hearts are empty but the more divine treasure you have the more ready will you be to do good and to lay out both your outward and inward riches O how useful may rich men be in the places where they live if God give them hearts to do it and how helpful may such be in this day of soul-wants who are encreased with spiritual goods there are many impoverished souls this day who are ready to perish for want of light peace and comfort perplexed with doubts darkness and distressing fears and have none to help them O how refreshing in such a day of soul-exigences would it be to have some rich neighbours among them some prosperous Jobs Who with-hold not the poor from their desire nor cause the eyes of the Widow to fail Job 31. 16 17 19. Who would draw forth their soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul Isa 58. 10. Who could not eat their morsel alone or see the poor to perish for want of clothing To be eyes to the blind and feet to the lame Job 29. 15. To speak a word in season to him that is weary and to comfort others with the same comforts they have received of God Christians make haste to be rich in grace that ye may be rich in good works that ye may cast in much into the Lord's treasury Mark 12. 41. and out of your abundance cast into the offerings of God Luke 21. 4. Then should the blessing of the poor that was ready to perish come upon you Job 29. 13. and the fruit of well-doing be your savoury meat on which the Lord would daily feed you Ninthly The greater Trade you drive for Heaven now the greater will your estate in Heaven be hereafter 2 Tim. 4. 8. Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge will give me at that day and not to me only but to all that love his appearing To me who have run my race finish'd my course and kept the faith To me who have wrought hard in the Vineyard and traded diligently for Heaven in the World For me yea for all such as enlarge their heavenly Trade is laid up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Parents do Portions for their children saith Zanchy a Crown of righteousness glory sutable to their improvements of grace called a Crown to note its excellency and of righteousness to note its equity It shall bear a proportion to all that grace labours and faithfulness that is in Saints and infinitely beyond it A far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4. 17. God will not leave out the least item of the Saints right in the great day of righteousness A cup of cold water a little meal to the Prophet Elisha a mite in the treasury a desire to build God's house all shall be remembred in that day Mercy gives the Crown but Justice fits it for the overcomer's head God crowns saith Beda p Dona sua coronat non merita tua Donavit haec tempore misericordiae coronabit illa tempore judicii Beda in loc his own gifts not thy merits He first gives grace in the time of mercy and then crowns it in the day of Judgment And is not this argument enough yea constraint on an ingenious heart to labour after the greatest latitude of holiness Is not Heaven enough to requite all thy duties and hardships on earth What 's enough saith one if Rome be counted little q Quid fatis est si Roma parum So what can be counted great if Heaven be small and not price enough for all thy holy strivings and utmost progress in the way of life O attend your proficiency in this heavenly Trade your hearts and hands can never be too deep in the concerns of this upper World in this you can never be too covetous 1 Cor. 12. 31. Covet earnestly the best gifts r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 modis omnibus studio precibus consequi annitimini Take heed of putting stands and limits to your holiness the course of all unsanctified souls In this only is it lawful to remove the ancient bounds and enlarge your spiritual inheritance as far as possible Reaching forth to the things that are before and pressing forward to the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus Phil. 3. 13 14. Nothing undoes Professors like to stinting their measures of holiness and contenting themselves with present attainments if they can get to