Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	authority_n	believe_v	faith_n	2,627	5	6.0967	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91907	Three sermons preach'd upon extraordinary occasions. By Charles Robotham, B.D. rector, of Reisam in Norfolk	Robotham, Charles, 1625 or 6-1700.	1680 (1680)	Wing R1729E; ESTC R231140	83,223	245

in me With many the like Passages Now where there is a command on Gods part the Thing commanded to be done must needs be an Obedience on our part Secondly Faith is an assent upon Authority yea upon the highest and greatest Authority In believing of the Positive Truths of the Gospel Faith goes not upon the sight and evidence of the things in themselves but upon the Revelation Testimony and Authority of Gods Word 1 Thes 2. 13. Ye received the Word not ●s the Word of Man but as it is in Truth the Word of God This is it that Commands and captivates the understanding into a compliant persuasion Sic dicit Dominus Thus and thus saith the Lord. Since then Authority is the Ground and Basis of Faith in perswading Obedience must needs be the Act of Faith in assenting in submitting to that Authority Again thirdly Faith or Assent it comes from or depends upon an imperate Act of the Will and upon that score puts on the Nature of Obedience True indeed we do not believe with ou● Wills * See Dr. Stillingfleets Rational Account P. 137 138. against T. C. as some of the Pontificians seem to teach For no Man really believes as he list o● meerly because he please but upon evidence of Grounds and Reasons But yet since those Evidences will never produce Faith unless we bend and hold our Minds to a due and serious attention to them as 't is said of Lydia a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostom in locum God opened her Heart to attend and so to believe Acts 16. 14. And since it is the Heart or Will b Recté Tho. Anglus in Sono Buccinae p. 197. Voluntas applicat intellectum ad cogitanda motiva cum sollicitudine desiderio veritatis that under God commands and fixes the Attention both unto the Matters and Motives of Faith it evidently follows that though we do not formally believe by our Wills yet ●ot a Non potest intellectus credere quando vult si absque eo quòd velit nunquam credat White Sonus Buccinae P. 201. See Dr. Stillingfleets Rational Account Pag. 138. without our Wills and that the assent of Faith though it be not the immediate Act of the Will yet 't is undoubtedly under God the Effect of the Will enforcing the Attention against all carnal fears or interests that would divert us from the Faith Upon which score the infidelity of Men seems to be resolved into their unwillingness John 5. 40. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ye will not come unto me i. e. you will not believe or become my Proselytes by Faith Again fourthly and lastly Consider that our assenting to the Doctrine of Faith 't is expresly call'd by the Name of Obedience in Scripture 1 Pet. 1. 22. Ye have purified your Souls in obeying the Truth i. e. in a firm believing it Gal. 3. 1. Who hath bewitch●● you that ye should not obey the Truth i. e. in not sticking to right Belief of the Gospel in the Article of Justification And so Rom. 10. 16. The Apostle having said They have not ●● obeyed the Gospel expounds it ●● the very next words by believing for Esaias saith Who hath believ●● our report So that 't is evident ou● very believing receiving embracing retaining of the Truths of the Gospel 't is a part and piece of our Evangelical Obedience All that I shall draw from this Head is only two short Inferences First is our assenting to the Matters of Faith a piece of Obedience then surely there is more of Disobedience in the World tha● some are aware of Even the forsaking or rejecting of Gospel Truths is a piece of Disobedience For Gods Truth comes with Authority comes in Gods Name and lays an obligation upon all that hear it or can hear it to attend and believe And therefore he that either shuts or casts it out of his belief he thereby refuses to be subject and obedient to God Who hindered you that ye should not obey the Truth says the Apostle to the erring Galatians This perswasion comes not of him that calleth you Gal. 5. 7 8. So that whosoever withholds or with-draws his assent or perswasion from such Divine and Evangelical Truths he therein with-draws his Obedience or Subjection Whatsoever Points of this nature we hear from the Gospel we must one day give an account of how we received or why we refused them For where God has a Mouth to speak we must have an Ear to hear and a Mind to attend and a Heart to believe or answer for the neglect of it Secondly Is this a part yea the first part of our obedience our assenting to Gods Truth ou● receiving and retaining it in opposition to Errour and corruption of Doctrine Then sure it is a thing of great consequence of what Faith and Belief or perswasion we are in matters of Religion that we mistake not 2 Cor. 11. 13 14. 2 These 2. 10 11. 1 Tim. 6. 5. 2 Tim. 3. 8. Darkness for Light Error for Truth that we embrace not Deceits and Delusions in stead of sound Doctrine the bold Fantasies and Novelties of corrupt Minds in stead of the Verities and Mysteries of Christ in stead of the Words and Truth of Soberness I say 't is a thing of some concern what we shut out or take in into our Minds as Matter of Faith because accordingly we shall be counted of the number either of the Obedient or Disobedient According to the soundness or rottenness of our Principles and Perswasions as to the main accordingly shall we be so John 8. 32. 2 Tim. 2. 25 26. far found either the Subjects of Christ or the Slaves of Satan of error and darkness Would we therefore be true that is obedient Servants unto God Here we must begin and hold on our course Labour for a sound establishment in the main Truths of the Gospel Read and meditate on the Scriptures of Truth as they are called Dan. 10. 21. Attend unto the guidance of those whose Office it is to divide ●nto you the Word of Truth Pray for the Spirit of Truth to 2 Tim. 2. 15. John 16. 13. ●ead you into all necessary Truth ●n a word as it is Prov. 23. 23. Buy the Truth and sell it ●ot that is spare no cost no ●ains in the getting of it And being gotten part with it upon ●● terms barter not away the plain and pretious Truths of God for the meer fancies and bold presumptions of Men. Let the Word of Christ dwell Col. 3. 16. richly in you in all wisdom that ye may be strong and grounded Christians Not Children in understanding 1 Cor. 14. 20. Heb. 5. 13 14. 1 Tim. 3 9. but Men skilful in the Word of Righteousness and holding the Mystery of Faith in ●● pure Conscience the best and easiest Depository for Divine Truth Quia facile male creditur ubi n●● recte vivitur But I have done with the first

the Soul from all evil un●all good at least in true heart ●nd affection as it is described Ezek. 18. 21. 'T is the pitching of our choice our resolved choice and electi●n upon God and his ways Psal 19. 30. I have chosen the way of ●ruth thy Judgments have I laid ●●fore me 'T is a taking of Christs ●oke at once and universally up●● us 'T is a stated professed re●●ved concluded subjecting our ●●●ves to the Word and Ways of Christ as Lord and Saviour In a word This Obedience un●● Gods Call 't is not so much an ●ct of particular a By repentance I do not mean conversion from any particular sin but the ●●ge of the whole Man of his Intentions and by conse●●ce of his Actions to seek God in stead of himself and World Mr. Thornd Epilog L. 2. C. 30. See also Dr. Stoughton Righteous Man's Plea Sermon 6 ●● 32 Sermon 7. P. 51. observance ●●to God in some few specialties ●●mmanded but 't is an entire and ●●iversal resignment of our selves the rule and governance of 〈◊〉 Word Grace and Spirit Even as on the contrary Disobedience to Gods Call as we now mean and speak of it stands not in every single or particular failour of Duty or going against our Duty but in the more general averseness of the Mind and obstinacy of the Will standing out or setting up it self and the pleasing of it self against the Government of God in the Soul For as it is one thing to offen● or go against the Laws of th● King in some few Particularities and another thing to reject an● cast off his Government to hav● a Picque against it so as to brea●● out into rebellion against H●● Crown and Scepter Even so ' ti● one thing to come short in our bedience to the Law or Will God in some Particulars and another thing to cast off his Wil● or to set up our own in direct opposition to his so as to say effect with them in the Parable Luke 19. 14. Nolum●● 〈◊〉 regnare We will not have this Man this God and Man this Lord and Christ to rule over us As much as to say We will not please him but our selves we will not leave our sins for his Laws or Commands we will not own or set up his Word for our Rule and Guide but our own worldly Interests our own carnal and corrupt humours customs and affections we will not listen to his Voice nor hearken to his Counsel nor turn at his Reproof but rather go on and persist in the ways of our own choosing and in the pursuance of our own desires and imaginations This is the real Language of all such as remain disobedient to Gods Call The bent of their Hearts and the course of their Lives in effect speaks thus much Nolumus hunc regnare We will not have this Man reign over us though they do not say so much with their Mouths yea though they say and profess the contrary For the Apostle has told us That Men may profess God in their words and yet in Works deny him being ●bominablc disobedient and to every good Work reprobate Tit. 1. 16. The consideration of this Head serves to a double purpose First it shews us the great weight and moment the high concern of this Obedience Ist in that 't is the main the principal thing that God looks for and requires at our Hands Without which all outward conformity to the bare Letter of the Commands is but little worth The bent of the Heart and Soul broken off from the love of sin and given up unto God and Christ in the love of Righteousness is the Root and Spring of all after-well-pleasing Obedience Therefore are we every where called upon to begin here Prov. 23. 26. My Son give me thy Heart Ezek. 18. 30 31. Repent and turn ye from all your transgressions Make ye ● new Heart and a new Spirit Jer. 4. 4. Circumcise your selves into the Lord break up your Fallow Ground and sow not among Thorns And Verse 14. O Jerusalem wash thy Heart from wick●dness that thou may'st be saved and Mat. 23. 26. Thou blind Pha●isee first cleanse that that is within that the out-side may be clean also As much as to say First a 'T is evident that Obedience is the principal Vertue and indeed the very root of all Vertues and the cause of all felicity Homily of Obedience 1st Part Pag. 343. obey the main Call of God ●art with thy own self-pleasing-will yield up the strong holds the main powers and faculties of thy Soul as an entire Sacrifice to God and then outward and more particular Obedience will easily and naturally follow And secondly The concern of this Obedience to the Call of God 't is herein seen in that it is a thing altogether indispensable God absolutely stands upon it That we should by Faith and Repentance render up our selves to an inward and through subjection of Heart and Soul to his Service in the general God as it were in course dispenses with particular failings and imperfections in duty but as for the general and sincere bent of the Heart seconded by an answerable endeavour of the Life there is no dispensation no abatement or allowance for the want of this but 't is a thing that must be found in us first or last But then again the due consideration of what has been said touching this second branch of Obedience i. e. Obedience to the main Call of the Gospel it serves to instruct us in a very weighty and concerning Point and that is in the nature of a right saving and justifying Faith True indeed we are justified by Faith Rom 5. 1. But 't is a praying and a See Dr. Field L. 3. c. 44. P. 170. Also his Appendix Pag. 862. Petitioning Faith Acts 8. 22. Ch● 9. 11. 'T is a confessing and professing Faith Rom. 10. 9. 1 Job 1. 4. 'T is a Faith hungering and thirsting after Righteousness Mat. 5. 6. 'T is a walking Faith 1 Job 1. 6 7. * The walking in the Light as he is in the Light is that qualification whereby we become immediately capable of Christs Righteousness or actual Participants of his propitiation Mr. Ball of the covenants Pag. 21. 'T is an operating or working Faith Gal. 5. 6. Faith that a Fides per dilectionem operatur in Corde etiamsi foris ●on exit in opere Sedulius in ad Rom. 3. 28. worketh by Love In a word it must be such a Faith as the Apostle describes to be the unfailing Principle of universal Goodness and Holiness through the whole Eleventh Chapter b This Faith as the Apostle describes it Heb. 11. is the sure ground and foundation of the benefits we ought to look for Homily of Faith first Part circa medium to the Hebrews Again most true it is that we are justified without Works Gal. 2. 16. That is without the Works of the Law wholly without the c See Homily