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	good_a	2,481	5	4.3352	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86563	The righteous mans hope in his death: in a sermon at the funerall of Mr William Conye of Walpoole, justice of peace, and captain over the trained band in Marshland. / Preached by John Horne Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at Southlyn in Norfolke 2d⁰ May 1648.	Horn, John, 1614-1676.	1649 (1649)	Wing H2808; Thomason E562_3; ESTC R206072	29,394	38

and is in him not every one that talks of him and professeth him and cals him Lord Lord but he that 's found in him is imputed of God and accounted righteous by him and in him A righteousnesse this is that will as well rule him righteously that receives it as present him unto God righteous Now the way of receiving it is beleeving and for that cause partly it is called The righteousnesse of faith as also because it worketh righteousnesse or causeth us so to work through faith Rom. 10.6 which beleeving in its actings towards Christ and God in him and in its acting from God and Christ towards man by Gods love acting it Gal 5.6 is called as I understand our working righteousnesse or doing righteousnesse in 1 Joh. 2.29 Every one that doth righteousnesse is born of him which answers to chap. 5.1 Every one that beleeveth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and so in 1 Joh. 5.7 He that doth righteousnesse is righteous as he is righteous Which agrees with that in Col. 1.22 23. To present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight if ye continue in the faith grounded and setled c. That I say is our righteous doing especially as it works towards God or receiving Christ resteth in God through him in which respect it is said also to be imputed to us for righteousnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or unto righteousnesse Rom 4.5 Not for any inward merit in our acting it for indeed it 's rather acted in us but such is the love of God to his Son that he accepts our beleeving on him and takes it in as good part as if we had never sinned against him imputing it unto righteousnesse that is out of his meer grace and gracious determination so approving it that he looks on us now through Christ whom we therein beleeve on and reckons us after Christ who is his righteousnesse It is true that it is a righteous thing in it self that we should beleeve the word of God Istis duobus Christiana file que gloriam tribu●● Deo imputatione De● sides enim firma est 〈◊〉 oportet imputationtia Dei accedere Luth in Gal 3 6. and there-through beleeve in Christ set forth therein and so in God through him but yet this righteous thing of it self as acted by us or in us is too weak and low to denominate us righteous with God or intitle us to Christ his righteousnesse and make him ours did not God graciously so reckon of it as to accept it unto righteousnesse or to the intailing Christ upon us to be our righteousnesse But however that is our righteous-doing to give credit to God and beleeve on Christ and the not doing so is great unrighteousnesse that great sin which the holy Ghost will convince the world of Joh. 16.8 9 11. That that makes it a righteous thing to beleeve God is because he is true and all his words are pure and upright there is no fraud or perversnesse in him or his sayings none ever trasted to them and were deceived by them and thence it is too that unbelief is so great a sin and so unrighteous a thing because it gives God who is truth it self the lie and makes a liar of him 1 Joh. 5.10 And so again it is but a righteous just thing for men to beleeve on God in Christ and the contrary is unrighteousnesse and sin and why because he is good and loving yea love it self and doth good to men so as that they have good ground of committing themselves to him and staying on him and this in Christ because he hath in him testified his love to poor fallen mankinde and Christ hath so wonderfully deserved well of them for he came from his Father into the world on purpose to take our nature and therein bear our sin and die the death that was due to us which he also out of pity and good will towards us hath done and being risen again and ascended up to his father he is with him the propitiation for our sins and having received of him all authority and power yea being filled with all the fulnesse of God he holds forth himself as a Saviour to men as a Captain and leader ready and able to save them to the uttermost who ever submit to him and follow him Now God having done so much for us and upon these grounds requiring us to hope in him through Christ and cast our selves upon Christ it s but a most just and equall thing to beleeve on him and not to trust to one that hath prevented us with so much love and done so much for us is horrible ingratitude and injustice But by the way some may cast in this doubt concerning themselves Whether it can be made out that it is just and righteous that they in particular should beleeve in him Doubt For there are some so much bewilded in pooring upon themselves that they think it rather presumption and sin for them to hope in God and beleeve in Christ then any waies right and just for them and therefore if their hearts any time begin in consideration of this mercy and goodnesse a little to look towards him and conceive hope in him they are ready to start back again and say alas I am such a sinner I am not so well qualified I fear it's presumption in me to harbour any such thoughts of mercy in him for such a one as I Such a one I say might here object and ask me how I can make it good that it 's a just thing for him to beleeve in God and that God hath done so much for him as doth challenge his hoping and trusting in him To which I say S●lu Not that thou maiest know this by thy so doing or beleeving for that would be fallacious and as to thee dangerous it being the want of such frames that make thee in this temper besides that thou nor any man can througly beleeve in God or be rightly framed toward him till he beleeves that God hath done so much for him and is so graciously affected towards him that there is good warrant for beleeving in him and this too from divine testimony not humane conjectures for faith that 's right comes by hearing Rom 10.14 and that hearing by which it comes is of the word of God To answer positively then out of the word of God It 's evident by Gods own testimony there that there is good ground for thee to beleeve on him It 's but that that his grace and good will testified towards thee doth require of thee for all that good will that I spake of before as a good ground for faith is testified in the Scripture to appertain to thee for minde what the Scripture saith in this particular and thou shalt see it clearly Joh. 3.16 for it is said that he so loved the world as to give his son yea for the unjust 1

beleeve and close with his sayings that they being intertained Christ himself to whom they bear witnesse and whom they set forth may be beleeved on come to and received into the heart he may be entertained into the fouls affection desire delight confidence c. that so he that is Gods righteousnesse provided for us and given unto us being received and entertained thou mai'st in him be presented righteous to God and filled with the fruits of righteousnesse both toward God and men that so thou having of the spirit of Christ within thee it may lead teach support and comfort thee and in the midst of dangers yea and of death it self fill thee with a lively hope of life and glory Friends do righteously in beleeving the word of God and looking to Christ by faith be not enemies to your selves by heeding lying vanites put not away from you your own mercies run not desperately through a spirit of envy or malice or through worldlinesse pride presumption Atheisme loosenesse into your own destruction What good will you get to your selves in the issue by being wicked by being envious against the Gospel and grace of God by quarrelling against and resisting the truth by scorning contemning hating and reproaching them that out of love and good will preach and hold it forth to you by rejecting the testimony of God and closing with every vain phantasie by which you think your selves strengthened against it whom do you fight against in opposing the word of God is it not against God himself and is it not against your own good Do you not endeavour thereby to pervert your own waies to make his grace and goodnesse questionable as concerning your selves and so put your selves from having the word of God the ground of your faith to fetch the ground of it from some blinde conjectures and good conceits of your selves Oh stand not in your own light neglect not so great salvation as is set before you nor rest in such a notion all profession of truth as leaves the soul destitute of the power of truth such a consent to it and profession of it as yet leaves the soul unrighteous brings it not into Christ nor receives not the power and Spirit of Christ into it Let not love of the world and worldly vanities keep you out either from attending to and receiving truth nor from submitting to and walking out in the power of truth perhaps you are rich some of you and injoy much in the world you can fill and satiate your selves with the profits advantages and delights of it you finde a great deal of satisfaction in your own waies some in coveteousnes others in pride and others in voluptuousnes c. But oh consider the emptinesse and vanity of all these satisfactions will the world and the things thereof last for ever is not God even now powring out whole vials of his wrath upon it and is he not staining the pride of all glory and bringing to contempt all that 's honourable in the earth Is he not marring the form of it and casting bitternesse into all the comforts of the earth and what will your riches profit you if God come to plead with you with sword famine and his sore judgements do you think to bribe his wrath or make an agreement with hell and death do you think that his hand will not finde you out or do you think your riches honours pleasures accomodations in the world will then fill your souls with hope O no beloved these things will then prove more empty vanties you may live as richly and sumptuously and in as great pleasure as the rich man in the Gospel Luk. 16. yea and perhaps to have as honourable a buriall and yet the next news may be that that was his unhappy portion that you are in hell tormented what then will all these things you here set your hearts upon advantage you what will it profit you could you get and enjoy the whole world and to lose your souls in the getting it die like stocks or blocks without God and without Christ and without hope or to die howling out with vexation and despair Alas what good would all his riches and places or great funerall c. have done this gentleman if he had died without faith in God and without the hope of his glory and so before his body had been interred his soul had been in hell Be you willing to follow his steps in owning the truth of God and the grace of God therein declared and in so laying down your selves to the Crosse of Christ and cordially desiring the knowledge and enjoyment of Christ that so your end may be as hopefull as his you may not be afraid of death and faint under it but hope in it and rejoice over it for the righteous man is he that hath hope in his death 3. To conclude let me speak one word to you that do follow after righteousnesse even the righteousnesse of God you that have received the record of God concerning his Son beleeved his love and therethrough are brought to appreach unto him to have good thoughts of him and have cast your souls upon him and set your hope in him what hath been said may be usefull unto you for your encouragement and consolation I shall say this to you my brethren hold fast your integrity follow on yet after righteousnesse Rev. 22.11 be not weary of well doing nor saint in the way he that is righteous let him be righteous still and be that is holy let him be holy still let him continue and increase in holinesse and righteousnesse serving God in them all the daies of his life abide in Christ and in his way attending to the grace of God and submitting thereto to be acted and led thereby to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts Tit. 2.11 12. Heb. 13 1● 16 and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking diligently that none fail of the grace of God that none be prophane as Esau to sell the hope set before him the birthright given you for a messe of pottage for any worldly carnall transitory vanities take heed of consulting with flesh and bloud lest you be turned aside from the word of God to other doctrines or to be corrupted to worldly waies and evils take heed that the cares of this life and the deceitfullnesse of riches or love of other things in this world do not by little and little steal in upon your spirits to cheak the good seed of the word of God and so to make you content your selves with a barren profession of Christ without power and fruitfullnesse Hold fast your hope and confidence in Christ Heb. 10.35 and hold fast your good conversation according to Christ knowing that your confidence hath a great recompense of reward 1 Cor. 15 18. Gal. 6 7. and your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord in due time ye shall reap if ye faint