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	object_n	1,927	5	8.5671	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B23015	The confirming worke of religion ..., or, The true and infallible way for attaining a confirmed state in religion ... with a short and confirming prospect of the work of the Lord about his church in these last times / by R. Fleming ...	Fleming, Robert, 1630-1694.	1685 (1685)	Wing F1263A	80,672	168

judgment on its own evidence more vigorously promot and the proper means and assistances which the Lord hath given for this end in some other manner yet improven then seems to be this day for a more universal use The grounds to inforce the necessity hereof are these I. that its sure wherever the Gospel is revealed to men it comes with so full an assurance of understanding and sufficiency of objective evidence as can admit no possible doubtfulnesse herein which is the credit and glory of our religion that in no other way it doth require acceptance but with the furthest conviction of evidence II. Because the expresse designe and tendency of this blessed revelation is no lesse to found such a rational assurance in the judgment of its truth then to ingadge their will and consent for imbracing therof and though such great demonstrations for this end can only in suo genere have a convincing influence to perswade the understanding yet are they of such weight here as next to the demonstration of the Spirit of God they are the greatest means to bring up mens assent to a full and quieting rest on that security to which they must concredite themselves for ever and to let them see that this even here by the way is assuredly full though not yet their injoyment III. Because this faith of assent should be first followed in the order of nature as being the very first principle of conversion to know and be sure that God hath sent his son into the world to save sinners wherin as the H. Ghost is not the objective but the efficient cause here of our faith so is not the internal worke and testimony he gives on the soul the first testimony but must still have respect to the revelation of the word without and such demonstrative evidences therof wherwith it is revealed to the world nor may ever be separate that which God hath himself so indissolubly joyned IV. That so convincing a necessity and use is hereof to the Church and in a special way with respect to the youth for a more firme laying of the groundwork of their Christian profession and to be as the seed-plot of a blessed and desirable grouth amonghst such in this day that they might thus know early something of these primary grounds and demonstrations of their faith so also is it a study of that high importance as I humbly judge should be of notable use for a Manuduction in the first place to students of Divinity before they launch forth in that vast and immense ocean of the speculative part therof and for being at some greater advantage thus for carying on such a confirming worke in the Church in their future service V. Yea of what use might this be with respect to many who may be sore haunted with hid and dreadful temptations to infidelity and to weaken them on the very foundations of their faith who are wholly unfurnished of any such grounds and arguments in their judgment to repel the same and it is sure to believe firmly the history of the Gospel that God was manifested in our nature to save man is with respect to the object a much higher act of faith then to believe that he will save us since as the one doth unspeakably more transcend all human reason then the other so doth the Apostle thus argue from the greater to the lesse Rom. 8 32. That he who gave his own son to the death will he not also with him give us all things That such a confirming worke Posit III was most specially followed in the practize of the primitive times and one of the great ends of the ministry of the Apostles and Evangelists to have this faith of assent and doctrinal certainty therof on its proper grounds and evidences deeply founded in mens judgment is so clear as cannot come under debate I. That this way did the great author of our profession himself take not only by the authority of his word and the power and energy of grace but with that convincing evidence and demonstration of his truth to mens understanding as might found also a firme and rational assurance hereof II. That for this end he did pray the Father Joh. 17 21. and was so much pressed herein that so great an external demonstration of the truth of the Gospel in the concord and unity of his people might be kept clear that the world might thus believe that he was sent of God and have a deeper conviction hereof served on them by such an evidence III. That one special intent of the Evangel of Luke was for this end Luke 1 4. that men might know not only the things themselves by a naked relatation but the certainty of these things wherin they had been formerly instructed IV. That herein did the ministry of Apollos so brightly shine forth Act. 18 28. and was then of most singulare use to the Church by that clearnesse of rational conviction and demonstrative arguments for the truth of Christ as the greatest gain sayers could not withstand V. That its sure it was then without exception expressly required of the meanest within the Church to be allways ready to render the reasons of their hope to all who ask and not only to know what they did believe but why they did so as is clear 1 Pet. 3 15. yea that this could not be by bringing forth of internal evidences for conviction of others but to give them an account of the most cogent grounds and demonstrations of the Gospel as might be most prevalent and confirming to the weak and leave others inexcusable and seems to have been then specially pressed in these primitive times as a proper test of their Christian profession VI. And we see herein also how much these excellent Bereans were taken up and were so highly commended of the H. Ghost Act. 17 11. to know the demonstrative part of Christianity and by its own evidence with that intire harmony and consent of the Scripture therin and their being thus diligently intent in that comparing-worke of religion to see the truth therof not singly and apart by themselves alone but in that joynt union and coherence wherin they stand each in their own room for confirming and giving light to other VII That this was the way also wherin the Gospel did come to the Gentil church is cleerly shewed 1 Thess 1 5. Not in word only but as in power and in the H. Ghost so also in much assurance of understanding upon its own evidence which was that way it did so wonderfully prevail over the world against nature and stream of flesh and blood that stood in the furthest opposition therto VIII That one of the greatest services of the Apostles in their visiting the Churches did expresly ly here Acts 14 22. to confirme the souls of the Disciples in the first place on the certainty of their faith and then in exhorting them to continue in the same so as they might follow the

conviction hereof when such clear and unanswerable grounds might be improved for this end on these who look thereon as some strang and dark riddle so as they could no more deny or withstand the evidences hereof then that they have a living soul which yet they never saw or could ever be the object of human sense And how sad a prospect should this give of the greatest part of the Christian world who not only know nothing of the true glory and spirituall powers of Christianity but have not the very notion or any sense of the reality of such a thing But in the 2d place it is thus that each Christian for being solidly confirmed in the way of religion may as clearly see as he does sensibly feal the truth of his own experience and have his faith as fully established by this inward and great demonstration of the things of God as his affections are quickned upon such strong and demonstrative grounds of the certainty hereof as these are 1. By considering his present and former state that not in a dream but in the most deep and serious composure of spirit he knows how once he was blind and wholly estranged from this mysterie of Christian experience which now he does see and once had the same sentiment hereof with such who doe most deeply reflect on the same but no sooner did the truth and power of religion sease on his soul then he found himself entered into a new world to know the dawnings of this marvelous light and what belongs to these injoyments and vital acts of Christianity that hath not the least dependence on any naturall cause 2. By considering that marvelous superstructure of experimentall religion which from the inward observation of Christians in all ages is such as the world could not almost contain the books that might be write hereof which yet is so intirely founded on one and the same foundation and does in all the lines of this great circumference still meet in the same center yea thus how intire and harmonious a thing religion in all the parts therof is within upon the soul as well as without so as every step in this way of the experience of the saints is no groping in the dark but what is by line and rule with as sure and demonstrable a connexion with the externall testimony of the word as there is in nature betwixt the cause and the effect which affords a more wonderfull assistance to his faith then the greatest externall miracles could ever doe and tho the spirit of God does sometimes in an extraordinare manner reveal himself to men as acts of his Soveraign prerogative which make no rule yet with the established constitutions of his word does the continued experience of the saints most harmociously ever correspond 3. By considering thus also the being reality of grace not in its effects only but in its proper cause and original how the truth of holinesse in the life of a Christian is so express a transcript of the Gospell in its external revelation that the impresse doth not more clearly answer the seal on the wax then it doth beget the same forme and image of it self in such as believe yea also that conformity it bears to the ever blessed Architype as well as to the revealed rule and how bright a discovery is thus of so glorious a being and nature to which its conformed who is the alone patern and exemple of all truth and holinesse which is so great a discovery as he is made to wonder how men in this age are so much awakened to find out the true Phaenomena of nature though in its own room a most choise study and specialy desirable and will be as in a transport upon some rare natural experiment as made one in that manner cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whilst here is another kind of demonstration and of more transcendent interest then all these could ever amount to on which the eyes of most are this day shutt 4. By considering that uncheangable congruity which is betwixt the nature of these things injoyned in the whole institutions of the Gospell and mens being made happy therby now in their present state and how great a temporal revenew of the fruits of religion as inward confidence peace and serenity of mind doth as natively follow the life and practice herof as the fruit of a tree answers to its kind and is ever found the alone true relief of mankind against all the griefs and bitternesse of time yea that it s no distance of place but of mens spirit by impurity and corruption that makes so sad a distance betwixt God and man here in the earth 5. He is thus further confirmed upon this great testimony of experimentall religion by considering that its sure such as does bear this witnesse are known 1. to be such who are of the most discerning and judicious in the things of reason as any else 2. Whose walke and practice use to have the greatest authority over mens conscience with whom they converse 3. who are found most intensly taken up in the retired worke and duties of religion that can have no respect to the witnesse and observation of others 4. Who seeks no implicit credit from any herein but does obtest men to come and see and prove the same in their their own experience with an appeal to the most exact inquiry and rationall tryall of all mankind if here be any casuall thing and if that testimony of the doctrinall and experimentall part of religion be not still one and the same 5. Who also out of the most remott places of the earth and otherwise strangers amonghst themselves does yet most harmoniously meet in the same witnesse and are thus mutually disclosed to other by a near and fealing intercourse of their souls from such an onnesse in a spirituall state and these specifick properties of a spirituall and new nature with as discernible evidence as if one man should meet with ane other of the same kind in such a place of the earth which were only inhabited with beasts 6. By considering also with a deep and serious reflection hereon that sure and known conjunction which is betwixt the most rare experiences of a Christians life and the most searching tryalls thereof with that uniform consent that hath in all ages of the Church been in such marvelous things as these 1 what solemne tokens and testimonies of the love of God and his acceptance are found usually to meet his people in the entry of some great tryall or service for him even in some unusuall manner then in the sence whereof as it was with Elijah they have been made to goe many days after in a wildernesse state yea how this does not respect persons only but Churches that the word still useth to goe before with some remarkable confirming worke to secure the heart before the crosse and some special tryal of persecution comes 2. That as each day