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	revelation_n	1,466	5	9.8611	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39932	Aytokatakritos or, the sinner condemned of himself being a plea for God, against all the ungodly, proving them alone guilty of their own destruction; and that they shall be condemned in the great day of account, not for that they lacked, but only because they neglected the means of their salvation. And also, shewing, how fallacious and frivolous a pretence it is in any, to say, they would do better, if they could; when indeed all men could, and might do better, if they would. By one, that wisheth better to all, than most do to themselves.	Ford, Thomas, 1598-1674.	1668 (1668)	Wing F1511B; ESTC R222667	153,768	273

in the very notion of it imports as much as hearing and understanding what the will of the Lord is Nor will the righteous Lord of all expect obedience to any will of his we ●ever heard of Sure we are that he never declared to the Sons of men any way of life but in ●he two Covenants viz. of Works before the ●all and of Grace ever since And though the means and manner of imparting to men the way of life have been various yet no man can or could ever say That God had conceal'd his mind from him that he could not know and so do it We read That there are Decrees and Counsels of God But who knows what they are besides God himself till he is pleas'd to declare them in the events of them And those events shew us only what God will do and not what we are to do 2. We shew no Faith in God otherwise than in obedience to his Commandments This is the only way of walking with God as Noah Gen. 6.9 When a man hath the Promise of God in his eye and the Commands of God in his heart and the encouragements he hath by the one lays an obligation and engagement to the other So did all those Worthies Heb. 11. who are recorded for example to all that shall come after The believing of the Promises and obedience to the Commands of God are the triall of men on Earth and that by which they shall be tried hereafter He that hath not Faith cannot forgoe what is in hand to purchase a reversion of he knoweth not what Faith alone is the ground of things hoped for c. Heb. 11 1. And so it sets a man on work to do and suffer the wills of God because it assures a man of Gods Faithfulness and All-sufficiency This obedience of Faith is that which God rewards in his Servants and nothing else This is that which as I may say takes much with God when men can pass by present enjoyments only because of his promise Who cannot forget any work or labour of love which they have shewed unto his Name 3. A man shews no Love to God in doing according to his decree and counsel because he cannot but do it whether he will or no. Now God rewards no work but the labour of love when we delight to do his will Psa. 48. and desire the knowledge of his wayes as David did Psa. 119. that we may walk in them 4. The Devil and the worst of wicked men fullfil the counsels of God in all they do and cannot do otherwise Herod and Pilate c. in crucifying Christ did nothing but what the hand and counsel of God had determined before Act. 2.23 Act. 4.28 and yet it was their sin and their condemnation too Ioseph of Arimathea is commended for a good man and a just Luc. 23.50 51. because he consented not to the counsel and deed of them who crucified Christ. The way of Gods Commandments is the only way to life and this the Devil and his followers cannot abide to walk in For the way of his Counsels they are alwayes in it and cannot go besides it even when they do their worst And indeed how should they unless we will suppose what is not to be imagin'd That God should lay by all care and looking after the affairs of the World and leave them to be managed and ordered as the Devil and his Instruments will have them To say no more of this God hath laid before us the way of Faith and Obedience or the way of Truth and Holiness and commanded it as the way that leadeth unto life and in this way alone can we find rest unto our Souls Away therefore with all disputes and questions about Gods Decre●s in this case as being no rule for us to walk by And look only what God hath commanded and be carefull about that and you need not fear it will be well with you for ever The whole course and tenour of Scripture speaks this if it say any thing about the things of God or the concernments of mens Souls Secondly Considering the Premises we have occasion to enquire and search diligently till we come at the root of all our sinfull mistakes and miscarriages And here I shall First admonish you of that which most are not aware of And Secondly I shall advise what is best to be done about it First Whereas there is such an aptness and inclination in all to excuse and put off all from themselves yea and to put upon God himself as much as in them lieth the sin and misery which they alone have procur'd I cannot forbear to fore-warn all of that accursed bad humour which hath no other rise or root than Ignorance and want of acquaintance with themselves This and nothing else causeth them to quarrel and pick occasions of so doing with God and his wayes of Grace and Providence and any thing but that which alone is in the fault Poor Souls ever since the old Serpent dropt his poyson into them are infected with the same disease that the Devil is sick of And what is that Even all the sinfull corruption that he contracted to himself by his rebellion against God His fall began in his pride and that pride abides upon him as our saying is As proud as the Devil Certainly Man since his fall is extreamly proud and conceited of himself though there be no cause for it and cannot abide to be thought what indeed he is And yet he is but a proud fool that thinks himself somewhat when he is indeed nothing or that which is worse And this proud fool stayes not at home but is alwayes abroad looking to what others do and living in a gross mistake of himself and all his wayes He thinks little of that inbred corruption which hath leaven'd the whole lump of his nature both in soul and body He is asleep and dreams of a good nature and of an honest heart towards God and a good desire after the things that concern his Salvation He cannot believe himself to be an enemy to God and his own Soul and that he was born so Farr be it from him he thinks to be such a one as procures and works out his own damnation and is willing to think of nothing else Yea this proud fool will be very pettish if he be told that the best part about him is enmity against God and that he hates the wayes of Gods Commandments and therein shews that he loves death But whatever he thinks and will not believe it all this is true and that which he helieves of himself is a very falsity and lye And being a fool he doth as a fool and no instruction or correction will put him out of his foolish conceits Truly in this the misery of sinfull man is great upon him viz. He never looks inward or homeward to consider how it is with him notwithstanding there are so many witnesses against him

any of them but what by sound natural Reason a man may apprehend to be equal righteous and rational And yet in all this I shall I hope keep my self free and farr enough from over-magnifying of mans Reason and also from any thought that the corruption of mans Nature is not in his Understanding as well and as much as in his other faculties I willingly grant what I heartily believe That we are all born blind and that Ignorance is no small part of mans inbred corruption and Original Sin Notwithstanding I say again That natural Reason in men is Light enough to descry that the wayes of God and all his transactions with men are reasonable that is None of them are against reason though some of them be infinitely farr above it And now I come to particular Instances First I instance in such things as God hath offer'd us in his Word to be believed by us 1. And what one among all those seems more incredible and irrational than the Resurrection Yet the Apostle thus reasons Act. 26.8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead The Apostle you see makes strange of it that any of the● should strange at it as a thing incredible 〈◊〉 confess he had then to deal with the Iews an● such as own'd the Iewish Religion at least many of them and therefore might well ask the● the question because the whole Worship o● God upheld amongst them was an unreasona●ble thing if the Dead should never rise agai● But as I take it he might as well question 〈◊〉 Gentiles after the same manner Though know some may reply That there is not 〈◊〉 same reason because the Gentiles might 〈◊〉 they did exercise some Religion such ar● was upon the account of the Souls immortali●● whilst they believed no resurrection of the B●●dy And that some of them had some Noti●● of the Souls immortality without any appr●●hension of the rising again of the Body I do 〈◊〉 much question though those Notions in all 〈◊〉 them were but empty conceits and as co●●●sed as a sick mans dreams But this I desire● be observ'd That the Apostle 1 Cor. 15 3● argues the Resurrection thus That if the De●● rise not the Epicures Opinion may take place But that Opinion is erroneous saith the Apo●stle and pernicious too and not to be allow●● among Christians who ought to believe firm●● the Resurrection of the Dead The Apostle Argument is à Consequente absardo and he sai●● in effect this If there be no Resurrection they might then side with the Epicures and sin● their Song Let us take our pleasure while w● live for after death we shall have none Yet observe also v. 32. If after the manner of men that is as farr as men could do or with regard only to this present life which all men live I have fought with beasts at Ephesus what advantageth it me if the Dead rise not Doth not the Apostle lay the ground-work and foundation of all Religion upon the Resurrection It is as much as to say What need I suffer and by the same reason what need I do any thing about Religion if there be no Resurrection His whole Argument is grounded upon Reason and his Conclusion is the absurdity of Religion if there be no Resurrection And that it is so appears from his reasoning v. 36. Thou fool that which thou sowest is not quickned except it dye Where Calvin observes That the Apostle might have answer'd their Question How are the Dead raised c. by shewing how easie it is to God Almighty though it seem incomprehensible to us and that we are not to judge of such things by our own sense but according to his infinite power But the Apostle answereth otherwise by shewing That the Resurrection is so farr from contradicting the course of Nature as we have continually a clear proof and instance of it in the fruits of the earth which arise and grow out of the seeds that are sown and rot in the ground Now seeing all Generation is from Corruption in the seed sown we have therein an image and resemblance of the Resurrection And the effect of all the Apostles discourse is this That there is as much reason for the bodies rising again as there is for the growing again of the grain we sow in the earth And hence he rebukes them thus Thou fool confuting Atheists from the course o● Nature as men that have not common sense A● if he should say How unreasonable are you t● question the Resurrection when the like thing● before you every day and you see with you● eyes ordinarily what is as strange as that Fro● the whole to say no more it is clear That there is a ground in reason for every man to be●lieve the Resurrection though I deny not tha● it is further clear'd and we are most confirm'● in the belief of it by the written Word ye● and that our blind Reason would never have dis●cover'd it without Divine Revelation 2. The Incarnation of the Son of God is 〈◊〉 thing I confess above all mans Reason an● yet not therefore against Reason 3. The Apostle stands admiring O the depth 〈◊〉 How unsearchable are his judgements and 〈◊〉 wayes past finding out And yet whoever believ● these as they are by the Spirit revealed in the Word doth nothing but what is most rational For if there be one Almighty Infinite Eterna● God as Socinians I hope grant then it is most absurd to think that his judgements wayes works and counsels are such as can be measured by the standard of mans reason No reason will perswade a man to measure what is infinite by that which is finite more than to think of taking up the Ocean in a Nut-shell And if it should be thought that the Socinians have the advantage at Reason against us if it were not for Scripture in the highest Mysteries o● Divinity I thing otherwise because it is against all reason to allow of nothing in the counsels and wayes of God that is not commensurable with mans understanding For that is all one as to make him such a one as our selves whereas our owning him as God is an acknowledgement of his Beeing and Excellencies infinite beyond all our Reason 4. Reason is not able to apprehend the Mystery of the Trinity And yet it is but reasonable for us to believe what Scripture hath reveal'd about it because it is agreeable to Reason that God must be such an Essence and Existence as no Creature is able to comprehend For God were not God indeed nor like himself if his Subsistence were such as we could apprehend Even Reason will enforce us to grant That God can be comprehended by none but himself For how can a man apprehend God aright without apprehending him infinite That which is finite even in the judgement of Reason cannot be God And therefore the Heathens were most absurd in their Polytheism