Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	believe_v	faith_n	foundation_n	1,927	5	8.7886	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14172	Amendment of life three sermons, vpon Actes 2. verses 37. 38. conteining the true effect of the worde of God, in the conuersion of the godly: and the maner how it changeth their harts, and reformeth their liues, which is the true vvorke of regeneration. By Iohn Vdall, preacher of the worde of God, at Kingstone vpon Thames.	Udall, John, 1560?-1592.	1584 (1584)	STC 24489; ESTC S102078	40,987	110

is saide if ye had but fayth as a graine of mustard séede should say vnto this mulbery trée pluck thy selfe vp by the rootes and plante thy selfe in the sea it should euen obey you This kinde of fayth was very rife in the primitiue church when the gospell was to be planted in the whole worlde for God gaue vnto the Apostles power to confirme their doctrine with signes and wonders But afterwarde it ceased only the ordinary confirmation by the preaching of the word remayneth now amōg vs. This fayth hath bene and may be in a man that is a reprobate and cast away for some shall say in the latter day Lord haue not we cast out deuils in thy name to whome it shallbe answered I know ye not departe from me ye workers of iniquitie The strength of Antechrist was foreshewed to be with signes and greate wonders And it is also sayde by our Sauiour himselfe speaking of the last dangerous times that there shall arise false Christes and false Prophets that shall shew great signes and wonders so y ● if it were possible they should deceiue euen the very elect which we haue séene and dayly doe sée by experience especially in the confirmation of Antechristes kingdome Thirdly faith is taken in the scriptures for that fayth whereby we apprehende the mercy of God to saluation commonly called Iustifiing fayth which so beleueth the word of God to be true that it applieth the whole as profitable to himselfe the threatenings to feare him from sinne and the promises of God in Iesus Christ vnto his owne comfort and consolation and then both to drawe him on to godlynesse in these thrée senses is fayth most commonly vsed in the worde of God The last is that which appertayneth to our purpose whereof we are to speake yet more at large It may be thus desyned Fayth is a certaine knowledge and sure perswasion of the frée fauour of God in Iesus Christ grounded vpon the promises of God in his holy worde and sealed in our hearts by the holy Ghoste This definition containing in it y e whole substance and summe of our fayth is to be enlarged further to the ende that euery parte and parcel thereof may the more plainely be knowen Certaine knowledge This is the beginning and as it were the cause of fayth for as the appostle sayeth he that commeth to God must beléeue that there is a God so he that beleueth must first know what to beleue and learne the doctrine of saluation out of the worde and therfore our Sauiour Christ in that heauenly prayer that he made a little before his passion hath these wordes This is life eternall that they know thée to be the onely very God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. The which place though it containe in it fayth also yet it is forcible to prooue that knowledge must goe before faith for it is the nature of faith to beleue that it certainely knoweth and therfore where there is no knowledge there can be no faythe Then let all men iudge what doctrine that was which taught ignorance to be the mother of deuotion and forbid the people the knowledge of the worde of God it was euen to blindfolde our eyes that we might fall into the pitte of perdition before we beware it was to hide the keyes of the kingdome of heauen so that they neyther entered them selues neyther suffered others to enter But blessed be God who of his great and infinite mercy hath eased vs of that burthen and granted vnto vs his holy word The which albeit many amonge vs do little estéeme because their consciences are seared with a hote yron that they cannot sée the necessity of it And therefore doe loath the hearing of the same preached yet we know that fayth commeth by hearing and hearing by the worde of God And albeit it was to the Iewes a stumbling blocke and the Grecians foolishnesse and is now to the supersticious Papist Heresie and to the conceited wise man of the worlde néedelesse or too base for him to meddle withall yet it then was and now is and euer shall be to them that beleue the power of God to saluation and that by preaching the which must make vs if we haue any loue to our owne soules health or desire of fayth to meditate in the worde of God day and night and to loue and like it aboue any profite or pleasure this knowledge must be certain for knowledge being the ground work of fayth if it be vnstable the building cannot stande sure which certeinty standeth in these two poyntes first to be perswaded of the vndoubted truth of Gods word and secondly of the absolute sufficiencie thereof not to néede any traditions of men to make it perfect for so much as it is euery waie perfect it self These two things are duely to be considered and so much the rather for that Sathan fighteth to shake them both laying the truth of the word vpon the approbation and allowance of men and foysting dreames and fancies of idle brayned persons into it to consūmate the perfection of the same Sure perswasion This is the substance and nature of fayth which doeth arise by the working of Gods spirite with the worde out of the knowledge of the same that hereby we are not only perswaded of the truth of his worde but also beleue vndoubtedly without wauering to be partakers of the mercies of God in Iesus Christ. The names that the holy Ghost ascribeth vnto this fayth in the doctrine of the apostles be notable to proue the same not to be wauering but sure and certaine it is called a ground or foundation a stedfaste fayth and assurance of fayth without wauering a full assurance an anchor of our soule both sure and stedfast which comparison is notable for as the anchor though the shippe be tossed moued with the waues and tempests yet it is still safe and holdeth fast euen so faith what troubles or trials so euer befal vnto the godly in this world doth neuer let go his hold that it hath in Iesus Christ but cleaueth vnto him and dependeth vpon his mercy in all extremities and so the Children of God féeling the comfort of Gods grace and hauing a sure hope of the performance of Gods promises vnto them are certaine and sure to be saued The which doctrine Satan hath euer laboured and doth greatlie at this day labour to darken and extinguish affirming it pride and presumption to dare be so bold as to be assured of saluation Which thing is true if the certainty therof stoode any way in man himselfe who is naturally filled with al sinne and incredulity but while they take their markes amisse they greatly dishonour God For marke this well God promiseth in his worde eternall life to all that beleue thou sayest thou beleuest and I say so too thou art not sure to be saued and I say that I

am Which of vs twaine doth offende most the cause why thou canste not be sure is for that thou arte sinfull And therefore God may cast thée off Contrarywise the cause why I am sure is the truth and the power of God his truth because I doe not doubt but that he will be as good as his promise his power because all things are possible to him This is the ground and foundation of the certainty of my hope least I should mistrust God or extenuate his power For in this I looke not vpon mine owne worthynes for then must I néedes doubt but vpon him that promised and that I doe well in so doing I prooue by the testimony of the scripture concerning Abrahā whose fayth I am to followe of whome it is said that he neither did consider his owne body being now dead which was almost a hundred yeares olde neither the deadnesse of Saraas wombe neyther did hée doubt of the promise of God through vnbeliefe marke here doubtinge termed vnbeliefe but was strengthened in the fayth and gaue glory to God then wauering dishonoureth God being fully assured that he which had promised was also able to performe it This being my warrante I am assured that whosoeuer doubt of their saluation haue no fayth at all The reasons that the aduersaries of this doctrine doe alleadge because they séeme to carrie some colour of truthe in them are to be considered first say they there is in al men naturally a feare but where is feare there is doubting and therefore all men must néedes doubte Whereunto I answere confessinge the whole and yet it maketh nothing against me for the feare that is in all men is naturall and is the worke of the flesh and indéede doth striue against fayth as the regenerate man doth against the vnregenerate or the outward man against the inward but as the Children of God are through Iesus Christ more then conquerers through him that loueth them so true faith ouercometh yea expelleth feare and maketh vs to approche with confident boldnes vnto the throne of his grace Further they obiecte that we are commaunded by Sainct Paule to worke our saluation with feare and trembling the which we néeded not to doe if we were sure to be saued I answere that we must so but we doe not worke fayth in our selues and therefore the apostle speaketh there of the continuall conuersation of Christians which in regarde of the maiestie of God alwayes beholdinge them and the quicke eyes of the wicked narrowly espying into them must bée maruelous careful that they doe not displease so great and good a God and wary that they giue the aduersary no aduauntage Whereby he may take occasion to dishonour God and to speake ill of the Gospell A meditation neuer to passe out of our mindes and yet maketh nothing against the assurance of our fayth They obiecte yet further and say no man is sure that he shall stand for Dauid Lot Peter with many moe that were godlier then we haue fallen I answere I am not sure to stand in sinceritie of conuersation for it may please God to suffer me to fall into that sinne wherevnto I am naturally prone to the end to shew me my owne weakenes and his greate mercy but I am sure I shall neuer fall finally because he that hath begonne a good worke in me will performe it vntill the day of Iesus Christ for whom God loueh he loueth vnto the ende so that I or whosoeuer else doth féele himselfe comforted with an vnfained persuasion of Gods loue may thererby assure himselfe of Gods fauour for euer A notable example whereof we haue in the seruant of God Dauid who by the consideration of the helpe that he had against the Lion and the Beare in the wildernesse is strengthened to go against Goliah saying that God that deliuered me out of the hands of them shal also saue me from vncircūcised philistine so y ● our assurance standeth in the mercy of god not in our obedience which staggereth daily Lastly they say certainty of saluatiō standeth in Gods eternal election and who knoweth whether he is elected or no answere the foundation indéede standeth in election is the root of our assurance but to say y e none knoweth whether he be elected or no is to say that none be called for he y ● is called is elected because whom god electeth him he calleth so that whosoeuer can proue to me by infallible marks out of y ● word that he is called w t the inward calling to him I can proue his owne particular election therefore whē they say y ● none knoweth whether he be elected they shewe plainelie that themselues be not called and then no maruaile if they doubt of their saluatiō when they know not whether they be within the compasse of Gods grace in calling or no. Therfore let him whosoeuer he be whether papist pelagian libertine familiā or atheist for al these shake hands in this point labour diligently by hearing and reading of the word and praier to find out what y e will of God is and to try himselfe whether it doth work in him or no and not condemne y e truth of God to be false because his carnal wit cannot attaine vnto it but let him rather cōdemne himselfe because he findeth not in himselfe the marks that the word of God painteth them out with all that are the children of God Of the free fauour of God This is the thing which we must know and whereof we must be undoubtedly perswaded that is that God of his mere mercy in Iesus Christ hath vouchsafed to adopt vs to be his children not regarding any thing in vs that is ill to hinder nor any good to further the same Which doctrine is in many places of scripture set downe to vs as in that confession of Peter our Sauiour saieth flesh and bloud hath not reuealed this vnto thée but my father which is in heauen And in another place No man commeth vnto mée vnlesse my father draweth him without Christe we can doe nothing for we are not able of our selues to thinke a good thought seing that it is he that worketh in vs both to will and to performe And yet notwithstanding all these expresse sentences of the holy scripture we sée how man laboureth by maine and might to establish merit and to maintaine frée will in man to be good if he list But we haue learned out of Gods word that all the imaginations of the heart of man are altogither euill and that there is in our selues no good thing and therefore our faith leaneth vpon the sole and onely mercy of God for our saluation and in regarde of our owne vnworthinesse doth in true humility cast downe our mindes to bée ruled and guided by his blessed worde In Iesus Christ. Because wée finde in the word of God that God is iust