Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	knowledge_n	patience_n	temperance_n	4,684	5	12.0601	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62635	Several discourses by the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson ... , being the fifth volume published from the originals by Ralph Barker ...	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708.	1700 (1700)	Wing T1263; ESTC R31970	188,402	488

will grant us whatever is good and necessary by which is certainly intended in the first place Spiritual good Things because these are the best and most necessary and to satisfy us that our Saviour did in the first place and more especially mean these St. Luke does particularly instance in the Grace and Assistance of God's Holy Spirit Luke 11.13 How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him The holy Spirit that is the continual Presence and Influence of it to all the purposes of Guidance and Direction of Grace and Assistance of Comfort and Support in our Christian Course And what else is the meaning of that Parable of our Saviour's concerning the Talents entrusted with every Man according to his Capacity and Opportunities Matth. 25. I say what else can be the meaning of it but this That God is before-hand with every Man by affording the Advantages and Opportunities of being happy and such a measure of Grace and Assistance to that end which if he faithfully improve he shall be admitted into the Joy of his Lord. And upon this Consideration of the gracious Promises of the Gospel to this purpose it is that the Apostle St. Paul doth so earnestly exhort Christians to endeavour after the highest Degree of universal Holiness and Purity that we are capable of in this Life 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these Promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of God And so likewise Phil. 2.12 13. Wherefore my beloved work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling that is with great Care and Concernment lest you should fall short of it for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure The Consideration of God's readiness to assist us and of his Grace which is always at hand to stir up our Wills to that which is good and to strengthen us in the doing of it ought to be a great Argument and Encouragement to us to put forth our utmost Endeavours and so co-operate with the Grace of God toward our own Salvation And the Apostle St. Peter useth the same Argument to press Men to use their utmost Diligence to make their calling and election sure by abounding in all the Virtues of a good Life 2 Pet. 1.3 4. According as his Divine Power hath given us all things which pertain to Life and Godliness that is hath so plentifully furnisht us with all the requisites to a godly Life through the knowledge of him that hath called us to Glory and Virtue that is by knowledge of the Gospel and the Grace therein offered to us whereby he hath given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises that by these ye might be Partakers of a Divine Nature having escaped the Corruption that is in the World through Lust And then from the consideration of this Divine Power conveyed to us by the Gospel and the Promises of it he exhorts Men to give all diligence to add to their Faith Virtue and Knowledge and Temperance and Patience and Godliness and brotherly Love and Charity And indeed the Scripture every where ascribes our Regeneration and Sanctification the Beginning and Progress and Perseverance of our Obedience to the powerful Grace and Assistance of God's holy Spirit we are said to be regenerate and born again of the Spirit to be renewed and sanctified by the Holy Ghost to be led by the Spirit and by the Spirit to mortifie the deeds of the Flesh and in a word to be kept by the mighty Power of God through Faith unto Salvation 3. What the Grace of God is ready to enable us to do if we be not wanting to our Selves may properly be said to be possible to us and in some sense in our Power That may be said to be possible to us which tho' we cannot do of our selves as of our selves that is by our own Natural Power yet we can do by the Help and Assistance of another if that Assistance be ready to be afforded to us as we are sure the Grace of God's Holy Spirit is because he hath promised it to them that seek it and he is faithful who hath promised That cannot be said to be wholly out of a Man's Power which he may have for asking that which we are able to do by the Strength and Assistance of another is not impossible to us Surely St. Paul did no ways derogate from the Grace of God when he said I am able to do all things thro' Christ strengthening me he reckons himself able to do all that which by the strength of Christ he was enabled to do And this is the true Ground of all the Perswasions and Exhortations which we meet with in Scripture to Holiness and Obedience which would all be not only to no purpose but very unreasonable if we were wholly destitute of Power to do what God commands but if he be always ready at hand to assist us by a Grace sufficient for us if he co-operate with us in the Work of our Salvation then is there abundant ground of Encouragement to our Endeavours and if we fall short of eternal Salvation it is wholly our own fault it is not because God is wanting to us in those Aids and Assistances of his Grace which are necessary but because we are wanting to our selves in not seeking God's Grace more earnestly or by neglecting to make use of it when it is afforded to us For it is really all one both to the encouragement of our Endeavours and to the rendring of our Disobedience inexcusable whether we be able of our selves to perform the Condition of the Gospel or God be ready to assist us by his Grace and Holy Spirit to that purpose Wherefore as the Apostle exhorts Heb. 12.12 13 14 15. Lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees and make strait paths for your feet lest that which is Lame be turned out of the way but let it rather be healed Follow holiness without which no man shall see the Lord looking diligently lest any man fail of the Grace of God intimating that it is want of care and diligence on our part if the Grace of God fail of its end and be not effectual to all the purposes of Faith and Repentance and Obedience God does not with-hold his Grace from us but Men may receive it in vain if they do not make use of it And thus I have done with the third thing I proposed to consider from these words I proceed to the Fourth viz. To consider the Necessity of this Obedience in order to our obtaining of Eternal Life and Happiness Christ is the Author of Eternal Salvation to them that obey him that is to such and only to such as live in Obedience to the Precepts of his holy Gospel to them who frame the general course of their lives according to his Laws Some Men seem to be

of Power that hinders us from doing our Duty but Sloth and Negligence for God hath given us exceeding great and precious Promises whereby we may be made Partakers of a divine Nature and by Virtue whereof if we be not wanting to our selves we may cleanse our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit and perfect Holiness in the fear of God 3 dly and lastly What a Shame and Reproach is this to the Children of Light Our Saviour speaks this by way of upbraiding as we may judge by the terms of comparison which he useth that the Children of this World should be wiser than the Children of Light that is than Wisdom's own Children and that they should be wiser in their Generation that is for the concernments of a short and inconsiderable time than the others are for all Eternity How should it make our Blood to rise in our Faces and fill us with Confusion that the Men of this World should be more prudent and skilful in the contrivance and management of their little Affairs more resolute and vigorous in the prosecution of them than we are about the everlasting Concernments of our Souls That a worldly Church should use wiser and more effectual Means to promote and uphold Ignorance and Error and Superstition than we do to build up the true Church of Christ in Knowledge and Faith and Charity That the Men of the World should toil and take more Pains for the deceitful Riches than we do for the true and be contented to hazard more for a corruptible Crown than we for an incorruptible That they should love Pleasure more than we do God and mind their Bodies and temporal Estates more than we do our Souls and our eternal Happiness Do but observe the Men of the World what a Pace they go what large and nimble steps they take in the pursuit of earthly things they do not seek Riches as if they sought them not and love the World as if they loved it not and enjoy the present delights of this World as if they possest them not tho' the fashion of this World passeth away but we seek Heaven as if we sought it not and love God as if we loved him not and mind Eternity and the World to come as if we minded them not and yet the fashion of that World doth not pass away But to all this it may be said you have already told us that the Children of this world have so many advantages above the Children of Light that it is no wonder if they excel and out-strip them and it is very true that in many respects they have the Advantage of them But if the Children of Light would look about them and take all things into consideration they might see something very considerable to balance the Advantages on the other side It is true the things of this World are present and sensible but so long as we have sufficient Assurance of the reality of a future State and of the Rewards and Punishments of it the Greatness and Eternity of these is such an amazing Consideration that no distance can render them inconsiderable to a prudent and thinking Man And tho' the Men of the World have an entire Principle which is not divided between God and the World whereas in good Men there is a great conflict of contrary Principles the Flesh and Spirit yet this disadvantage is likewise ballanced by that powerful Assistance of God's Grace which is promised to all good Men who heartily beg it of him and are sincerely resolved to make use of it And lastly tho' the Men of the World have many Ways to compass their Ends yet the Children of Light have one great and infallible one All the Means which the Men of the World use to accomplish their Designs may fail and miscarry for the Race is not to the swift nor the Battel to the strong nor yet Bread to the wise nor Riches to Man of understanding nor Favour to Men of skill but time and chance happen to all but he that sincerely serves God and useth the Means for the attaining of everlasting Salvation is sure to attain it if we seek the righteousness of God as we ought we shall certainly be admitted into his Kingdom And this surely is an unspeakable Advantage which the Children of Light have above the Children of this World that if we faithfully use the Means we cannot fail of the End if we have our fruit unto holiness our end shall be everlasting Life Which God of his infinite Goodness grant to us all for his Mercy 's sake FINIS