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_v	1,483	5	7.8841	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30282	Mans whole duty and Gods wonderful intreaty of him thereunto set forth from 2 Cor. 5, 20, and published at the request of some hearers / by Daniel Burgess.	Burgess, Daniel, 1645-1713.	1690 (1690)	Wing B5709; ESTC R23833	54,814	178

when we are told it is to be through a full satisfaction made by his Son and price invaluable paid by him By him who though the infinite God became a finite Man Tho' Gods equal became his Servant Though the Blessed God yet was made a Curse for us We cannot but persist asking How can these things be It nothing repents me that I have often said We do now as much need to have the Spirit of God Live in us as ever we did need the Son of God to Dye for us And as the Purchase of Reconciliation did require a Divine Person the Proof of it doth require no less God deals with Man as Man In a way of Reason suited unto his Reasonable Nature Which cannot Believe any thing without a Reason for Belief of it Of all the great and marvellous things that God commands our Faith he first giveth sufficient grounds for our Faith of them Particularly of his foresaid Purpose to reconcile Sinners and of his Sons Purchase foresaid things of greatest worth and weight and of Concernment to as many as do need Reconciliation Of these extraordinary things God hath provided extraordinary Proof Even the Testimony of a Person no less than the Father himself or the Son Of the Glorious Spirit coessential and coequal with both This Divine Infallible Person who cannot be deceiv'd himself or deceive us is sent by the Father and his Son to certifie us of the Purpose and the Purchase which we speak of To inform us of both to conquer and drive away the Objections of our Minds against both to give us a certain kind of presence and sight of both A sight sufficient to move our Wills and make our Hearts to relye and rest upon both as really true And to draw our Affections in necessary degrees causing us to Love and long for the possession of the Reconcilement so purposed and so purchased And to over-rule our Lives and make them nothing so much as a course of Contemplation Prayer and Action for this said Reconciliation For be it deeply considered The Holy Ghost is declared in the Word to be sent for this end To be a Witness unto Jesus Christ and an Agent for him It would be very vain to object that the Holy Spirit was given under the Old Testament long before Jesus Christ came to Reconcile us by his Death For he was so upon Christs interposing as our Reconciler straight-way after sins entrance and that with respect to Christs future Oblation and Intercession for our Reconcilement And then as for degrees there is no comparison The Spirit drop'd but Dews in the Old Testament In the New he rained down Showers So that comparately he is said not to be given till Christ was Glorified He our Redeemer comes into the World and proclaims Gods Love unto it and purpose to reconcile and save sinners As also his own undertaking according to a contract made between the Father and himself to effect that Reconciliation by his Oblation and Intercession This the guilty graceless World could not believe nor have the patience to hear from the reputed Son of a Carpenter Jews as well as Gentiles made light of it yea rose in arms against it all save a handful and those better taught by him whom we are next to speak of The Holy Spirit as was agreed on between the Divine Persons now cometh and what does he Why he guides Souls into the Vnderstanding and Faith of all the Truth by Christ preach'd He Glorifies Jesus Christ convinceth Unbelievers that Christ is no Impostor but a Glorious Person come with a Glorious Commission to pursue Gods Glorious Purpose and to make the Glorious Purchase foresaid He receiveth Christs Spiritual things and shews them unto Men that could not see them before even his Truth and his Grace He receiveth them from Christ as the Lord Treasurer of them and shews them abroad that it may be seen what they are and in whose hand they are That Glory may be brought unto Christ That he may be owned and honoured as the Purchaser of the purposed Reconciliation Jo. 16.13 14 15. c. This did the blessed Spirit effectually causing the Church in all Ages to exalt the Father as the Original Purposer the Son as the Meritorious Purchaser the Holy Ghost as the convincing Proof-maker of our Reconciliation Without which Proof no Soul had ever believed it or found an Heart to look after a portion in it Which is the next great Consideration concerning it For if God has Purposed and Christ has Purchased Reconciliation and the Holy Ghost has proved it so fully that there is no just place for the least doubt but they have so done the very next thing to be looked after must be 4. The Sinners possession of it For whatever be the proportion of a good it avails not me without propriety Let this Reconciliation be thought as it is in truth a good no less than infinite If it be not made mine own if I am not Reconciled the sound of its Doctrine is to me but as the speech of Bread to a Man starving for want of it Or as words of a Pardon to a Man going up the Ladder when he hath it not O what Pillows do they sleep on who lay their Eyes together without this Reconciliation attained One would think it should be more easie to rest on the points of swords and spears then upon one thought of God unreconciled I will say with my dear and now blessed Friend Mr. Richard Alleyn of Somerset-shire If all the Kings of the Earth would give me all they are worth I would not lie down on my bed any night with one sin Vnrepented and without some hope of God Reconciled to me But I return The Holy Spirit in his Word testifyeth a purpose of Reconciliation that is Eternal As also a Reconciliation at the Death of Jesus Christ that is Fundamental But he doth as clearly deny any actual Reconciliation before Conversion Before our Understanding and sincere Consent unto the Covenant of Grace How should Divine Wifdom throw the richest Pearl to the vilest Swine Or Holiness forgive and embrace Creatures contrary to it There is no Law above God but God is a Law to himself And though he can do what he will he cannot will what is Unwise or Unholy Elect or not Elect he that believeth not on the Son the wrath of God abideth on him Jo. 3.36 He that hath not the Son of God to wit in Marriage-Covenant he hath not Life to wit the Life of Peace with God or of Hope from him or of Holiness toward him 1 Joh. 5.12 In a word Look at what time God teacheth and you learn at what time God draws and you run after him at what time you unfeignedly say Lord I do rely on the promises and I do consent to the demands of the Gospel-Covenant at that time in that very punct of time your Pardon is seal'd in Heaven 'T is published in the Gospel

for Spirituals he forbids us to Crave and Cark for Temporals O how should he then make us plow and sow for Temporals and not make us pluck our hands out of our Bosomes for Spirituals Of Hoping and Rejoycing in Hope of compleat Reconciliation the self-same is plainly seen How full is our Nature of Love Hope and Joy How Noble Affections are they and pleasant And for what were they put into us Very Children need little Information And very Blind they are that see not how ill it would reflect upon their Author should he require no use of such Talents And should he endure his Friends by the disuse of these to publish contempt of his Friendship For 't is a publick Declaration that we have made us another God when our Love doth not exercise it self in Hope and Joy toward the true Whereof it is more than this that we poor Creatures are capable I proclaim my extreme ignorance Graces all and Worship Natural and Instituted and Duties personal and relative are plainly enough comprehended Nor may I bestow time to light Candles in that Sun Lastly C. 3. The whole Generation of the Religious will vouch it that their Duty stands in this and no more No more unto any of them known Next to the Infallible Scriptures commend me to the common sense of Believers for the resolution of a Religious Case Reader go try a number of the best known unto thee Ask them seriously two things 1. Whether they do or dare in iheir daily walk to let fall any one of the particulars aforesaid sc Belief and Consideracy of the Purpose Purchase and Proof of Reconciliation unto God Prayer and Labor for the Possession Perswasion Practical Improvement Hope and Joy in the hope of its final Glorious Completement 2. What other Religious Exercises they have then of Faith with Meditation Prayer with painfulness of Means for things pray'd fer Hope with Joy Upon me be the shame if any other be found And if thou beest not told by all that if these Exercises do please thee there is nothing in Christian Religion to offend thee Blessed is the Man whosoever is not offended in one of these And who confines his Care only unto these The Italians have a saying Dangerous is the man that has but one Business to do But my God and the God of my Fathers grant that I and my dearest Friends may never have more to do than one And that one be our Reconciliation unto him Of the Vse of this Doctrine the one half cannot be told you within the space of a Sermon And of that which might be I shall wave much to press that which I think is needed most Come Reader and let me gain thy Attention to it and win thy Heart by it Read and every two or three Lines thou readest Lift up thy Soul to Heaven And put thy name into the number of the Reconciled now at this very Sermon Is Reconciliation unto God the Duty and whole Duty of every Man Believest thou this Thou wilt then among many others make these Inferences Inf. 1. God and Men are not as God and Divels Vnreconcilable It is true they are much the same as to certain Enmity An unconvert man is is truly at Enmity with God as any damned Angel is They are also very like as to the exceeding Difficulty of Reconciliation As much is to be done to reconcile God and an Vnconvert Soul as would be necessary to do to reconcile God and Beelzebub As great a price must be paid unto God for the one as the other As great a Change must be wrought in the one as in the other And as great a Power must go to the working of the Change in one as in the other Nevertheless though we are like Camels with like Bunches on our Back there is no comparison between us and them as to possibility of passing through the Needles Eye Infinite Power to which all things are possible and equal Goodness that shews it self in things wonderful hath made a wide difference The Condition of Devils is not more truly desperate than the Condition of Men is hopeful And of any men the Condition of those whom God is pressing and ever praying to be reconciled unto him The Reconciliation of Divels is impossible but the Reconciliation of such Men is more than possible even probable On Gods part probable for he is at work for it And upon Mens own part probable for they are or appear to be at work for it also Reader I beseech thee by the tender Mercies of God through which this is true and plain fix well this great Truth on thy Soul I am a Man that have somewhat to do with many poor dubious Souls Of most that come to me I do plainly see this It hath been unbelief of this truth that hath long kept them from seeking after God It is unbelief of it that now fills them with fears inordinate in seeking after him and makes them come crying to me day after day No hope no hope To the trouble of my soul and no small expence of my time But I forbear Let me add this only more although his Truth seem to be Believed by all bold Sinners among us it doth but seem so All indeed do grant it but very few do believe it And of them that do this must be said their Belief is a corrupt one and its Fruits are most abominable 'T is so that they believe God to be Reconciled as hence to be made Fear him much the less but Love him and seek his Peace never the more Could such Fruit rise from the Root of an intelligent and sound Faith It could not Briefly let me tell thee that this Truth is most fundamental And Disbelief of it is extream Blasphemy against the Truth Holiness and Faithfulness of the most high God It is true such as have sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost have the door of Mercy shut upon them for ever But to me it appears as true that who such Persons be is known unto God only Not discovered unto themselves or any other Men. I tell the worst Sinners that come to hear me They have as much ground to hope that God will accept them if they do Convert as ever Abraham Isaac or Jacob had before they did Convert Yea and because of our Gospel Sun-shine more then they had I. 2. Love indeed runs downward And incomparably greater is the Love of God to Man then the Love of Man unto God or unto himself This I gather from Gods beginning the Peace though Man began the Quarrel From his here so calling on us to accept it as speaks his forwardness to give and our backwardness to receive it From his amazing condescention even to pray and beseech us to receive it This Love is as much above that of Earthly Parents as the Heavens are above the Center of the Earth But what is our Love of God what is our Love of our selves I