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	see_v	3,520	5	4.1982	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65752	The troubles of Jerusalems restauration, or, The churches reformation represented in a sermon preached before the Right Honorable House of Lords, in the Abby Church Westminster, Novemb. 26, 1645 / by John White ...	White, John, 1575-1648.	1646 (1646)	Wing W1784; ESTC R186492	39,612	69

which shall devoure the adversaries Heb. 10.27 4. Lastly in the meane time this want of Faith in the promises leaves the heart of a man full of distractions and unquietnesse thereby so that one becomes uneven in all his wayes unsettled in all his thoughts raised up and cast down with contrary hopes and feares as the outward things of this life subject to continuall changes ebbe and flow from day to day whereof we have too many evidences in these times of trouble wherein men fall on and off as their vaine hopes and feares carry them on to one party or drive to the other to the shipwrack of their owne consciences and as much as in them lyes the betraying of the cause of Christ and of his Church and to their shame discovering to the world that they were never yet setled upon any firme foundation whereas one that hath built his Faith upon Gods promise is like a Ship moared by her anchors in a safe harbour from whence the ebbs and flouds of the sea cannot remove her 2. Vse Let me therefore earnestly beseech you right honourable and beloved by the mercies of God to labour above all things to strengthen Faith having such a firme foundation to build it on not cunningly devised fables as the Apostle cals them 2 Pet. 12.16 not the word of men who may deceive and be deceived but a faithfull word Tit. 1.29 A sure word 2. Pet. 1.29 The word of the God of truth who cannot lye a word more firme then the foundation of the earth setled for ever in heaven Psal 119.89 We have great reason to be earnest and serious in labouring with all our power to attain to this firmnesse of Faith not only because otherwise we despise this great mercy and compassion of God towards us in condescending to our weaknesse and abasing himselfe to be ingaged to us by his word his oath and his seales but more especially upon these sore weighty and important considerations 1. Of all other graces Faith is most necessary and usefull unto us every way 1. We thereby bring unto God the greatest glory by it setting to our seale that God is true Ioh. 3.33 As Abraham is said to give glory to God when he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in Faith Rom. 4.20 Indeed there is no more mentioned in that place but that he beleeved and thereby Sealed to the power of God being fully perswaded that he which had promised was able to doe it ver 21. But without beleeving his faithfulnesse and truth with all neither had hee any sound comfort nor God his due honour by beleeving wherefore it expresly testified of Sarah that she beleeved that he was faithfull that had promised Heb. 11.11 2. ly To us is Faith of such necessity that without it wee were dead spiritually it is that which unites us unto Christ the fountaine of life in whom we live as the Apostle testifieth of himself I live saith he yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by Faith of the Sonne of God Gal. 2.20 So that without Faith we are without Christ who is our life Col. 3.4 Again it is Faith that quickens all our endeavours and sweetens all our labours in Gods service knowing that in due season we shall reape if we faint not Gal 6.9 Thirdly it is Faith by which both our persons and services are accepted By Faith Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice then Cain by which he obtained witnesse that he was righteous Heb. 12.4 Fourthly it is Faith that holds up our spirits in afflictions I had fainted saith David unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of God in the land of the living Psal 27.13 Whence he professeth that Gods word the ground of our Faith was all the comfort which he had in his afflictions Psal 119.50 Fifthly Faith only enables us to withstand all terrours By Faith Moses his parents feared not the Kings commandement Heb. 11.23 And by the same power of Faith the three Children feared neither King Nebuchadnezzars angry countenance nor his threatning words nor his preparations of the flames of fire to torment them no not so farre as to take time to consider what to answer in so dangerous a case Dan. 3.17 Lastly it is Faith that supplies us with strong consolations Heb. 6.18 So that the Apostle tels us that being justified by Faith as we have peace with God so we not only bear tribulations patiently but in the midst of them rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.3 Secondly as Faith of all Graces is most necessary and usefull so is it of all others the hardest to be obtained and that in divers respects For first there is nothing in Nature that can help us to the attaining of Faith Sense cannot help us for the objects of Faith are things that are not seene Heb. 11.1 That is things that are above Sense things that are in the nature of them spirituall 2. Cor. 4.18 Whereas Sense apprehends only things that are grosse and earthly and things whereof many have no present being but are in hope and expectation only Much lesse can Reason help Faith seeing that takes all her grounds from Sense Wherefore Abraham that he might waxe strong in Faith silenced Reason which would have furnished him with arguments against the promise of having a sonne by Sarah for the Apostle tels us that he considered not that is did not so much admit into debate reasons drawn from the deadnesse of his own body and of Sarah's wombe Rom. 4.19 No Sense and Reason are so farre from helping Faith that they are the most dangerous of all other meares to hinder it or overthrow it where it is When David judged by Sense of Gods wayes and dispensations which represented unto him the prosperous condition of the wicked and his owne afflictions every morning it so shooke his Faith that he had almost slipt and was upon the point of condemning his owne wayes and the state of the Godly too as himself acknowledgeth Psal 73.2.13.15 And when Sarah began by Reason to examine the promise of having a Child at 90. yeers old she was so farre from beleeving it that she laughed at it Gen. 18.11 And as long as Moses makes use of his reason to weigh Gods promise of feeding six hundred thousand men besides women and children with flesh in the Wildernesse for a moneth together we see how hardly he is brought to beleeve it Num. 11.21 22 23. It must therefore be concluded that seeing neither Sense nor Reason nor consequently any thing in Nature can bring any help to Faith nay rather are the strongest meanes to oppose and hinder it it must needs be a difficult worke as being both above and contrary to Nature to obtain it A second difficulty in obtaining Faith is the consideration of those great and wonderfull things which it apprehends and beleeves

exercise not only in times of temptation but in times of peace as souldiers exercise their Armes before they come to encounter their enemies It is recorded of that great Commander Philopaemon that as he walked either alone or with his friends he used to view and consider the ground through which he passed what advantages or disadvantages it might minister to him or his enemies if he should be there sodainly assailed so that having considered before how he might best either free himself or annoy the assailants he was easily able to avoyd the danger when it came Let us learne in this point wisdome of the children of this world our enemies are more subtile more powerfull more vigilant their surprises more sodaine and more dangerous Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the Devill as a roaring Lyon walks about seeking whom he may devour whom resist stedfast in the Faith 1 Pet. 5.8.9 The meanes which the Apostle prescribeth against this powerfull and dangerous enemy is the stedfastnesse of our Faith which we must not only have but have alwayes about us laying up the Promises alwaies in our hearts and by meditation supposing dangers and temptations before they come to consider how they may be applyed and made use of as the severall emergent occasions shall require The want of this providence in St. Peter left him naked so that he was sodainly surprised and shamefully foiled by Sathan before he could prepare himself for the encounter as is recorded Luk. 22.57 58 60. which he might have prevented if he had not been so securely and carelesly confident ver 33. but taken our Saviours warning before-hand ver 31.34 Faith thus grounded and exercised must be held out as a shield against Sathans fiery darts in times of tryall David being sorely shaken by the observation of wicked mens prosperous estate and his owne afflictions hath recourse to the Sanctuary where the word of God was layd up and see how quietly he settles his heart thereby Psal 73.12.14.17.25.28 And Psal 77. the Psalmist being tempted to question not only Gods mercies but his Promises too vers 7 8. is forced to have recourse to Gods workes ver 11 12. the supporters as I may terme them of that Faith which is founded upon the Word for the quieting of his distempered thoughts This is or should be the practise of all the godly in all our wrestlings with Sathan and his instruments lest Faith take hold on the word if yet it seeme to waver adde unto it experiments eyther in our selves as David doth of his deliverance from the Lyon and the Beare 1 Sam. 17.37 when he was to sight with Goliah or others as David comforted himselfe by remembring Gods judgements of old Psal 119.52 This use of Faith the condition of the times wherein we live so full of trouble and confusion calls for at present whether we looke upon the state of the Church in generall or our owne in Particular In generall we see the Prediction Rev. 12.17 that the Dragon should make warre with the Woman that is the Church and the remnant of her seed which keepe the Commandements of God made good and fulfilled before our eyes as not onely the long continued warres in Germanie but the troubles over most parts of Europe evidence it to the world By which that man of Sinne the Incendiary thereof hath so farre prevailed against the poore flock of CHRIST that some of the most famous and eminent States who had set up the Kingdome of CHRIST amongst them have hardly left unto them at this day the forme or face of a Church In the beholding of such sad spectacles let us lay before us that Propheticall Promise Dan. 2.44 That the Kingdome which God shall set up shall never be destroyed nor left to other people and that faithfull and full assurance out of our Saviours owne mouth that the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it Math. 16.18 That rather then faile the Woman the Church he meanes shall have wings to cary her out of the Dragons reach Revel 12.13 14. That the Wildernesse shall nourish her for a time and times and halfe a time that if the Serpent cast out floods of water after her to cary her away the earth shall swallow up the flood vers 15.16 In brief that God will arme and raise all the Creatures in heaven and earth for the defence of his Church Adde unto these the Decree pronounced against the Beast and the false Prophet that deceived them that received the marke of the Beast they shall be taken and be cast alive into a Lake of fire burning with brimstone Revel 19.20 A thing not only decreed but done with God though not yet executed in the sight of men for the Angell cryes mightily with a strong voyce Babylon the great is fallen is fallen Revel 18.2 The word is doubled like Pharaohs dreame because the thing is established by God and God will shortly bring it to passe as Ioseph speakes to Pharaoh Gen. 41.32 yea I dare boldly say that these present Troubles of the Church which yet are but to purge out the Iniquity of Iacob and take away the sinne Isa 27.9 are but preparations to that great worke And these are no vaine Dreames but the true sayings of God as the Angell tels Iohn Rev. 19.9 Yea but you will say what Promise have we concerning this Nation and the Church of God therein what may we beleeve the issue of our troubles shall be at last To this I answer in generall two things First whatsoever our condition shall be suppose it to the worst that we feare yet if wee have any zeale for Gods honour or any true love unto his Church as members of that body we should put on St. Pauls resolution None of these move me sayth he neither count I my life deare unto my selfe so that I may finish my course with joy c. Act. 20.24 It was resolutely answered by the Roman Consuls when they stood stifly against the Law called Agraria which caused so many commotions at sundry times in the Roman state for the opposing wherof their Predecessors the Consuls of the former yeare after the extirpation of their office had been most unjustly Fined by the people Se quoque damnari posse ipsos legem per ferre non posse not regarding what became of themselves so they might secure the State I am sure the Prophets think it a sufficient ground of comfort to support the hearts of Gods children under the heavy burthen of the Babylonish captivity that it should be well with the Church in time to come although few of them lived to see that happie day Secondly although particular Persons and States be not named yet they are included in those Promises made unto the Church in generall or to the Iewes in particular considered as a Church if we answer the Conditions under which the Promise is made If we hearken to God and walke in his wayes we have