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	hope_n	2,425	5	7.9570	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64132	A sermon preached in Christs-Church, Dublin, July 16, 1663, at the funeral of the most Reverend Father in God John, late Lord Archbishop of Armagh and primate of all Ireland with a succint narrative of his whole life / by the Right Reverend Father in God Jeremy, Lord Bishop of Down and Connor.	Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667.	1663 (1663)	Wing T396; ESTC R11878	29,244	70

children and he longs to cause them to eat and drink in his Kingdom And at last the wicked shall rise unto condemnation for that must be done too every man in his own order first Christ then Christs servants and at last Christs enemies The first of these is the great ground of our faith the second is the consummation of all our hopes the first is the foundation of God that stands sure the second is that superstructure that shall never perish by the first we believe in God unto righteousness by the second we live in God unto salvation But the third for that also is true must be consider'd is the great affrightment of all them that live ungodly But in the whole Christs Resurrection and ours is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a Christian that as Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to day and the same for ever so may we in Christ become in the morrow of the Resurrection the same or better then yesterday in our natural life the same body and the same soul tied together in the same essential union with this onely difference that not Nature but Grace and Glory with an Hermetick seal give us a new signature whereby we shall no more be changed but like unto Christ our head we shall become the same for ever Of these I shall discourse in order 1. That Christ who is the first fruits is the first in this order he is already risen from the dead 2. We shall all take our turns we shall all die and as sure as death we shall all rise again And 3. This very order is effective of the thing it self That Christ is first risen is the demonstration and certainty of ours for because there is an order in this oeconomy the first in the kind is the measure of the rest If Christ be the first fruits we are the whole vintage and we shall all die in the order of Nature and shall rise again in the order of Christ They that are Christ's and are found so at his coming shall partake of his resurrection But Christ first then they that are Christ's that 's the order 1. Christ is the first fruits he is already risen from the dead For he alone could not be held by death Free among the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Death was Sins eldest daughter and the Grave-clothes were her first mantle but Christ was conquerour over both and came to take that away and to disarm this This was a glory fit for the head of mankind but it was too great and too good to be easily believ'd by incredulous and weak-hearted Man It was at first doubted of by all that were concerned but they that saw it had no reason to doubt any longer But what 's that to us who saw it not Yes very much Valde dubitatum est ab illis ne dubitaretur à nobis saith S. Augustine They doubted very much that by their confirmation we might be established and doubt no more Mary Magdalene saw him first and she ran with joy and said she had seen the Lord and that he was risen from the dead but they believed her not After that divers women together saw him and they told it but had no thanks for their pains and obtain'd no credit among the Disciples The two Disciples that went to Emaus saw him talk'd with him eat with him and they ran and told it they told true but no body believ'd them Then S. Peter saw him but he was not yet got into the Chair of the Catholick Church they did not think him infallible and so they believ'd him not at all Five times in one day he appear'd for after all this he appear'd to the Eleven they were indeed transported with joy and wonder but they would scarce believe their own eyes and though they saw him they doubted Well all this was not enough he was seen also of Iames and suffered Thomas to thrust his hand into his side and appeared to S. Paul and was seen by five hundred brethren at once So that there is no capacity of mankind no time no place but had an ocular demonstration of his Resurrection He appeared to Men and Women to the Clergy and the Laity to sinners of both sexes to weak men and to criminals to doubters and deniers at home and abroad in publick and in private in their houses and their journeys unexpected and by appointment betimes in the morning and late at night to them in conjunction and to them in dispersion when they did look for him and when they did not he appeared upon earth to many and to S. Paul and S. Stephen from heaven So that we can require no greater testimony then all these are able to give us and they saw for themselves and for us too that the Faith and certainty of the Resurrection of Iesus might be conveyed to all that shall die and follow Christ in their own order Now this being matter of fact cannot be suppos'd infinite but limited to time and place and therefore to be prov'd by them who at that time were upon the place good men and true simple and yet losers by the bargain many and united confident and constant preaching it all their life and stoutly maintaining it at their death Men that would not deceive others and Men that could not be deceiv'd themselves in a matter so notorious and so prov'd and so seen and if this be not sufficient credibility in a matter of Fact as this was then we can have no story credibly transmitted to us no Records kept no Acts of Courts no narratives of the dayes of old no traditions of our Fathers no memorials of them in the third generation Nay if from these we have not sufficient causes and arguments of Faith how shall we be able to know the will of Heaven upon Earth unless God do not only tell it once but alwayes and not only alwayes to some Men but alwayes to all Men for if some Men must believe others they can never do it in any thing more reasonably than in this and if we may not trust them in this then without a perpetual miracle no Man could have Faith for Faith could never come by hearing by nothing but by seeing But if there be any use of History any Faith in Men any honesty in manners any truth in humane entercourse if there be any use of Apostles or Teachers of Embassadors or Letters of ears or hearing if there be any such thing as the Grace of Faith that is less than demonstration or intuition then we may be as sure that Christ the first Fruits is already risen as all these credibilities can make us But let us take heed as God hates a lie so he hates incredulity an obstinate a foolish and pertinacious understanding What we do every minute of our lives in matters of title and great concernment if we refuse to