Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	justification_n	justify_v	sanctification_n	6,333	5	10.3320	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60194	A learned commentary or exposition: upon the first chapter of the second Epistle of S. Paul to the Corinthians Being the substance of many sermons formerly preached at Grayes-Inne, London, by that reverend and judicious divine, Richard Sibbs, D.D. Sometimes Master of Catherine-Hall in Cambridge, and preacher to that honourable society. Published for the publick good and benefit of the Church of Christ. By Tho. Manton, B.D. and preacher of the Gospel at Stoake-Newington, near London.	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Ashe, Simeon, d. 1662.; Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677.	1655 (1655)	Wing S3738; ESTC R215702	745,441	567

of God By the grace of God my conversation hath been in godly sincerity and not in fleshly wisdom For St. Paul was wondrous jealous of his heart for fear of pride not I saith he 1. Cor. 15. I laboured more then they all O not I but the Grace of God that was in me he was afraid of the least insinuation of spirituall pride and so he saith here Our rejoycing is the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and sincerity by the grace of God And then the extent of this conversation thus in simplicity and sincerity in regard of the object it hath been thus In the world towards all men that I have conversed with they can say as much wheresoever I have lived And more abundantly to you-ward my care and Conscience hath been to carry my self as I should more abundantly to you-ward with whom I have lived longest This is an excellent evidence of a good man that he is best liked where he is best known Now St. Paul had lived long amongst them and he was their father in Christ and therefore saith he my conversation is known especially to you-ward Many men are best trusted where they are least known their publick conversation is good and plausible but their secret courses are vile and naught as those know that are acquainted with their retired courses but you saith the Apostle with whom I have lived longest with whom I have been most you can bear witnesse of my conversation that I have lived so and so in the world and more abundantly to you-ward This is our rejoycing c. We see here the temper and disposition that St. Paul was in he was in a glorying in a rejoycing estate We see then that A Christian take him at the worst his estate is a rejoycing estate Our rejoycing is this The word in the originall is more then joy for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a glorying our glorying is this which is a joy manifesting it self in the outward man when the heart and the spirit seeme as it were to go outward and as it were to meet the thing joyed in A Christian hath his joy his glorying and a glorying that is proper to himself it is a spirituall joy as it followes after Our rejoycing is the testimony of our conscience So goodis God that in the worst estate he gives his Children matter of rejoycing in this world he gives them a taste of heaven before they come there He gives them a grape of Canaan as Israel they tasted of Canaan what a good land it was before they came thither so Gods Children they have their rejoycing St. Paul swears and protests it 1. Cor 15. By our rejoycing in Christ Jesus I die daily as verily as we joy in all our afflictions so this is true that I say that I die daily Therefore we should labour to be of such a temper as that we may glory and rejoyce A Christian hath his rejoycing but it is a spiritual rejoycing like his estate Every creature hath his joy as St. Chrysostome speaks we do all for joy all that we do is that we may joy at length it is the centre of the soule As rest is to motion so the desire of all is to joy to rest in joy So that heaven it self is termed by the name of joy happinesse it self Enter into thy masters joy Every creature hath his joy proper to him every man hath his joy a carnall man hath a carnal joy a spiritual man hath a holy joy First he joyes in his election which was before all worlds that his name is written in heaven as it is Luke 11. Rejoyce in this that your names are written in heaven and not that the divells are subject unto you And then he joyes in his justification that he is freed from his sins Rom. 8. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Christ and we rejoyce in afflictions being justified first there is the way how this joy comes in A Christian being justified by faith and freed from the guilt of his sin it worketh joy And then there is a joy of sanctification of a good conscience of a holy life led as we see here our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience c. And then there is a joy of glory to come We rejoyce under the hope of glory saith the Apostle Rom. 5 so a Christians joy is suitable to himself There is no other man that can glory and be wise because all men but a Christian they glory in their shame or they glory in vanishing things A Christian is not ashamed of his joy of his glorying because he glories not in his shame Therefore the Apostle here justifies his joy our rejoycing is this I care not if all the World know my joy it is the testimony of my conscience As if he should say Let others rejoyce in base pleasures which they will not stand to a vow let others rejoyce in riches in honours in the favour of men let them rejoyce in what they please my joy is another kind of joy I rejoyce in the testimony of my conscience A Christian as he hath a joy so he hath a joy that he will stand to and make it good There is no other man but he will blush and have shame in his forehead that joyes in any thing that is baser then himself that joyes in outward things he cannot stand to it and say This is my joy but a Christian hath the warrant of his conscience for that which he joyes in and therefore he is not ashamed of it Another man dares not reveal his joy All the subtiltie of the world is to have the pleasures that sin will afford and yet withall they study to cover it that it may not appear Where is the joy of the ambitious His study his thought and his joy is to have respect Haman-like and yet he studies to conceal this he dares not have it known he dares not avow it This is my rejoycing for then all the world would laugh at him for a vain person Again the joy of the base-minded man is in his pleasure but he dares not avow this he dares not say my rejoycing is this for then every man would scorn him as a beast The rich man he joyes in his riches but he dares not be known of this for he would then be accounted a base earthly-minded man Every man would scorn him He studies to have all the pleasure and all the comfort that these things will afford and yet to cover them Because he thinks that there is a higher matter that he should joy in if he were not an atheist A Christian is not ashamed of his joy and rejoycing I rejoyce in this saith he For it is well bred it is bred from the Spirit of God witnessing that his name is written in the Booke of Life witnessing that his sins are

and catched nothing to what purpose should I cast it yet in thy Word in thy command I will cast it he obeyed and he drew so many that the net brake again with the fish So I say it is thy command Lord that I should go on in the duties of my calling that I should do that that belongs to me and in well doing to commit my self to thee as to a faithful Creator and a gracious Redeemer and to cast my self on thy Promises do what thou wilt you shall see then as the Apostle graciously speaks Your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Cast your care on him for he cares for you I but when we have done there are so many imperfections cleave to that we do that they discourage us Why look the Promise is Yea and Amen for acceptance a cup of cold water is accepted offer that thou doest in the mediation of Christ God will pardon that which is faulty and accept that which is good So we have Promises of acceptance in Christ God will pardon and spare us as a Father spares his child Doth not a father accept the endeavour of his poor child and pardon his weaknesse when he cannot do as he would God looks on us as a Father on his children Therefore let us not fear this we have a promise of acceptance of what we do though it be weak and maimed and lame obedience If we cannot do as much as others yet bring two Turtles They that could not bring an Oxe a great sacrifice a lesse was accepted two Pigeons if thou canst not do as much as others a little sacrifice shall be accepted Oh that we had faith we might run through all the passages of our life justification sanctification perseverance for the time to come the duties of our calling the issue of our labours whatever you can imagine There is no passage of our life but our soules would be supported if we could think that these promises are Yea and Amen in Jesus Christ. There is no estate that we are in but there are Promises made to it we want no good but we have a promise of supply we are under no ill but we have a promise either for the removall of it or for the sanctifying of it which is better We may enlarge it likewise to posterity If the Promises in Christ be Yea and Amen that is true to us and to them that succeed us for as I said Christ is yesterday to day and the same for ever He was yesterday to our ancestors to day to our selves to morrow to our posterity Therefore saith Peter to the believing Jewes Act. 2. The Promise is made to you and to your children your children are in the Covenant and God is the God of thee and of thy seed For the Promises in Christ are Yea and Amen they are constant to us and to our children to the end of the world It is a comfort to parents that can leave their children no inheritance they leave them God in Covenant and he is a good portion I will be thy God for the grand promise is the promise of the Father Son and Holy Ghost God hath promised to be a Father and the Father gives his Son and the Father and Son give the Holy Ghost Well then God is the God of us and of our children he is the Father of us and of our children Christ is the Christ of us and them the Holy Ghost is the Spirit that sanctifies us and them Is not this a comfort to those that can leave their children nothing else that they leave them God in Covenant And this is a comfort for children if they have good Parents that they may say when they pray O God of my father Abraham And as David Psal. 116. I am thy servant and the son of thy handmaid I am thy servant my self and the son of one that was thy servant Is not this a comfort to a Christian to say I am thy servant and the son of thy servant therefore there is a double bond why thou shouldest respect me I cast my self on thee and I am the son of a believing father of a believing mother Oh it is a blessed thing to be in Covenant with God that those that can leave their children little else can leave them a place in the Covenant by their own goodnesse and faith Wicked Parents are cruel they damn their own soules and they are cruel to posterity Jeroboam hurt his posterity more then all the world besides for his sin God cursed his posterity They walked in the wayes of Jeroboam God many times will not punish men themselves but their posterity Wicked Kings God spares them themselves sometimes but he punisheth their posterity Jeroboam was spared for his own life but his posterity was punished when wicked men dye others applaud their wisdome they dye thus and thus c. and their posterity applaud their wisdome God therefore curseth their posterity walking in their wayes Jeroboam's children I say had cause to curse their father they had a prejudice in his example they thought him a very wise man that by setting up the Calves he could make such a rent but it turned to their destruction I say parents are cruel to posterity for God revengeth their sins on their posterity Let this be a strong motive to men to believe in Christ that they may leave a good posterity a posterity in Covenant with God Men are very Atheists in this point for they are more careful a great deal to leave them rich to leave them great then to leave them good and so they leave them a little goods perhaps but they leave the curse and vengeance of God with it I beseech you therefore enlarge this comfort that the Promises of God concerning all good things are made in Christ they are Yea and Amen to our selves and to all ours to our posterity Thus I have laboured to lay open a little to you the Promises you may enlarge them your selves Therefore take this course First consider your present estate if you would make use of this portion it is our portion our best inheritance are the Promises and indeed they are a good childs portion though the world take all from us though God strip us of all if he leave us his Promises we are rich men Therefore the Psalmist calls them his portion and his inheritance and indeed so they are because they are so many bonds whereby God is bound to us they are so many obligations And if a wretched exacting man think himself as rich as he hath bonds though he have not a penny in his purse He that hath a thousand pound in bonds thinks himself richer then he that hath an hundred pounds in money and he thinks he hath reason to be so because he hath good security Certainly a Christian that hath rich faith in the rich promises he is a rich man because he hath many

Promises in him Yea and Amen will he give me the greater and will he not give me the lesse Sometimes by the lesser be encouraged to hope for the greater sometimes quicken our deadnesse and dulnesse in believing the lesser with the undoubted performance of the greater Will God give me life everlasting and will he not give me provision in my pilgrimage till I come there undoubtedly he will Fear not little flock it is your Fathers will to give you a Kingdome saith Christ. They were distrustful for the things of this life Do you think saith he that he will not give you the things of this life that keeps a Kingdome for you Fear not Again when we hear any promise in the Word of God turn it into a prayer put Gods bond in suit as it were his promises are his bonds sue him on his bond he loves to be sued on his bond and he loves that we should wrastle with him by his promises Why Lord thou hast made this and this promise thou canst not deny thy self thou canst not deny thine own truth thou canst not cease to be God thou canst as well cease to be God as deny thy promise that is thy self So let us put the promises into suit as David Psal. 119. if it be his Lord remember thy promise wherein thou hast caused thy servant to trust as if God had forgotten his promise Lord remember thy primise I put thee in mind of thy promise wherein th●… hast caused thy servant to trust If I be deceived thou hast deceived me thou hast made these promises and caused me to trust in thee and thou never failest those that trust in thee What makes a man faithful Trust to a man makes him faithful so when God is honoured with our trusting of him it makes him faithful Let us therefore put in suit his promises of provision and protection every day in the way of our calling and for necessary grace and comfort that he will not fail us in any necessary grace to bring us to heaven considering that he hath filled our nature with all grace in Christ. Again let us take this course when we hear of rich and precious promises that are made labour to know them What shall we have an inheritance a portion and not labour to know it Let us labour to know all our portion and to know it of those that search the Word of God to be glad to hear any thing concerning the priviledges and prerogatives of a Christian those that dig the Mines of the Scripture which is the office of the Ministers let us labour to know all our priviledges Let not Satan rob us of one priviledge Every promise is precious they are rich promises yet they are no more then God thought necessary for us he thought all little enough to stablish our faith let us not lose one we cannot be without one let us labour to know them And when we know them work them upon our hearts by meditation and shame our selves upon it say is it true are these promises so is it true that God hath revealed these things in his Word To whom hath he made them to Angels or to beasts No to men to sinners to men in the world to comfort them they are their provision their inheritance as David saith Psal. 119. Thy word is my inheritance and my portion they are sweeter then the honey and the honey-comb Are they so Do I believe this or do I not believe it Yes I do If I do can I believe them and be so uncomfortable Let us shame our selves do I believe the promises of life everlasting the promises of perseverance the promise that God will hide me in danger that he will be my habitation and my hiding place and do I look to unlawful means Do I live without God in the world as if there were no Promise what a shame is this There is a weaknesse in my faith certainly when a branch withers there is a fault in the root so there is a defect in the radical grace that it drawes not juice out of the promises as it should there is a defect in my faith therefore I will look where the defect is and strengthen my faith Thus we should shame our selves Can I hear these Promises and be no more joyful and be no more affected Can I use indirect means and yet believe that God is Al-sufficient to me in the Covenant Certainly I cannot Therefore let us come to the tryal to some few evidences that a man doth believe in the promises He that believes the promises of God in Christ to be Yea and Amen doubtlesse he will be affected answerable to the things promised saith David Thy Statutes they are the joy of my heart The Promises will be the joy and rejoycing of our heart He that can hear of promises and not be affected certainly he believes them not When a man thinks of his inheritance and of his evidences that they are clear that he shall enjoy it without suit or trouble it comforts him he cannot think of it without comfort Cannot a man think of a little pelf of the earth without comfort when he knowes he hath assurance to it and shall we think of heaven and happinesse and not rejoyce will not these be the joy of a mans heart certainly they will affect him When good things are apprehended by faith will they not work upon the affections certainly they will Again where the promises are believed they will quicken us to all chearfull obedience certainly if God will assist me with strength and comfort if I go on in his wayes and in the end of all give me life everlasting this will quicken me to all obedience Therefore those that go deadly and dully as if they had no encouragement here nor promise of glory after they believe not the promises For God doth not set us on work as Pharaoh set the children of Israel to make brick without straw but when he bids us do any thing he promiseth us grace and gives us his Spirit and after grace he gives glory If men did believe this they would go about Gods work without dulnesse and staggering so far as we are dull and stagger in the work of God so far our faith is weak in the promises of God Again as they quicken in regard of comfort so they purge in regard of holinesse for they make men study mortification and sanctification 2 Cor. 6. and the beginning of the 7th Having these promises Let us purge our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit perfect sanctification in the fear of God Having these promises So that the promises as they have a quickning so they have a purging power and that upon sound reasoning Doth God promise that he will be my Father and I shall be his son and doth he prcmise me life everlasting and doth that estate require purity and no unclean thing shall come there

book comforts against sin comforts against trouble outward and inward and all but till the Comforter come till God send his holy Spirit we shall not make use of them Therefore let us labour to have more communion with God before we come to hear the Word and after we have heard it let us have communion with God again that he would seal whatsoever is spoken to our soules and make it effectual to us Therefore we must learn to give the just due to the Ordinance of God and not to idolize it to make it the means of comfort not to make it the chief Comforter but the Spirit of God by it What is Paul or Apollo what are we but Ministers of faith and by consequent Ministers and helpers of comfort but not the authors of comfort Oh if I had such and such here I should do well I should be so and so Alas all is to no purpose unlesse thou hast the Holy Ghost the Spirit of God that can help by weak means Therefore we must not tie comfort and joy to this or that means but in all means look to the ground of comfort and the spring of all the Holy Ghost The reason why men do nor profit more that they are not more cheared and lift up with the Ministery of the Word which is a Word of reconciliation and of joy and comfort it is because they are more careful in the use of means then in going to God for his Spirit to blesse the means Now these must go together a care of using the means and a care to pray to him that he would give us wisdome and strength and blessed successe in the use of all means Then if we would joyn religiously and conscionably these two together the use of all means conscionably and in the use of all to lift up our hearts to God to blesse them we should find a wondrous successe upon the Ministery and all other good means likewise So much for that I go on to the last clause of the Chapter For by faith ye stand Why doth the Apostle vary the word we have not dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy whereas the consequence it seems might run thus we do not domineer over your faith but are helpers of your faith he puts joy instead of faith and afterward he brings in faith again for by faith ye stand This is one main reason because joy riseth from faith therefore he names it in stead of faith for the Holy Ghost is not curious of words but when the same Spirit wroks both he names that which he thinks will fittest suit the purpose Faith breeds joy How is that Because faith first of all doth shew to us the freedome from that that is the cause of all discomfort whatsoever it takes away all that may discourage For it takes away the fear of damnation for our sins it shewes our reconciliation in Jesus Christ. Faith shewes liberty and deliverance and so discovering deliverance by a Mediator it works joy Is not a prisoner joyful when he is set at liberty Then likewise faith discovers to us the face of God shining to us in Jesus Christ it shewes not only deliverance but favour It shewes us the ground of all the righteousnesse and obedience of our Saviour whereby we are delivered and brought into favour Now from this comes peace from the knowledge of our deliverance and acceptance with God founded upon the obedience of God-man a Saviour there comes in peace and peace breeds joy because faith discovers all these the ground of reconciliation with God in Jesus Christ and thereupon peace therefore it causeth joy For this is the pedigree and descent of joy as the Apostle hath it Rom. 14. The Kingdome of God is in righteousnesse and peace and joy There must be righteousnesse first of a Mediatur to satisfie the wrath of God and procure his favour From righteousnesse comes peace peace with God peace of conscience From peace comes joy there is no joy without peace no peace without righteousnesse And this whole pedigree of joy as it were is excellently set down Rom. 5. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord and have accesse to the throne of grace by which grace we stand and not only so but rejoyce So there is justification by the righteousnesse of Christ and thereupon peace with God and from peace boldnesse and accesse to God and thereupon joy So we see how faith brings in joy because it shewes the spring of joy whence it comes it shewes peace and peace riseth from reconciliation and reconciliation from righteousnesse of Christ Mediator whereupon we are delivered from all that we may fear and set in a state of true joy God being our friend When God is reconciled all is reconciled all is ours have we not cause of joy then Therefore the Apostle saith Rom. 15. The God of peace fill you full of joy in believing shewing that faith is the cause of all spiritual joy And the same you have in 1 Pet. 1. 8. In whom ye rejoyced after ye believed with joy unspeakable and glorious In whom after ye believed that is in Christ you rejoyced with joy unspeakable and glorious And therefore you see the Apostle might well substitute joy in stead of faith because it springs and riseth from faith in Jesus Christ the Mediatour Hereupon we may come to make this Use of tryal how we may know whether our joy be good or no. Among many other evidences this is one that spiritual joy is good if it spring from the Word of faith If it spring from the Ordinance of God unfolded in the Word shewing us the ground of believing For he that truly joyes can shew the ground of his joy Herein joy differs from presumption from presumptuous swelling conceits true joy that is not the joy of an hypocrite it doth shew from whence it comes it riseth from grounds out of divine truth Then again this joy doth more immediately spring from faith in the Word from assurance that God is ours and that Christ is ours that God is at peace with us and that we are at peace with him it ariseth from peace that is wrought by faith Then again this joy if it be sound it is such a joy as S. Peter saith is an unspeakable and glorious joy joy arising from the Word of God and from faith and peace it is above discouragement because we have in the Word of God matter of joy above all discouragements and all allurements whatsoever It is a joy above the joy of riches or pleasures or profits why because the Word shewes matter of joy above all these The Prophet David rejoyced in the Word of God above Gold and Silver as one that had gotten great spoyles you see how oft he repeats it Psal. 119. It was sweeter to him then the honey and the honey-comb Psal.