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	sufficient_a	1,462	5	7.5981	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09472	The true gaine more in worth then all the goods in the world.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1601 (1601)	STC 19757; ESTC S103440	50,518	134

in Christ all our wants are couered in his obedience Againe if in the time of death the feare and apprehension of the iudgement and anger of God terrifie vs we are to oppose this obedience of our Mediatour to the iudgement of God and to put it betweene Gods anger and vs yea we are to rest vpon it and to infold and wrap our soules in it and thus to present them to God Isai the prophet saith that the Messiah is a place of refuge shelter or shade against the tempest or burning heate of the wrath of God And Paul saith he is our propitiatorie to signifie that as the propitiatorie couered the arke and the lawe in the arke which is the hand writing against vs from the presence of God so Christ couereth our sinnes and puts himselfe betweene vs and the indignation of his father The third and last point of doctrine here deliuered by Paul is That faith is the meanes to receiue and to obtaine the obediēce of Christ for our iustice That this may the better be conceiued foure points are to be handled What this faith is howe it is a meanes to obaine iustice whether alone by it selfe or by the helpe of other vertues When and howe long it is the onely meanes For the first Faith is a speciall gift of God whereby we beleeue Christ and his benefits to be ours In the first place I say it is a gift of God because it comes wholly of God and not from the minde or will of man Thus Paul saith It is giuen you for Christ to beleeue in him and Christ our Sauiour Saith to two of his disciples O foolish and sloe of heart to beleeue If it be obiected that when we beleeue first we then beleeue willingly I answere it is so indeede yet is not this willingnes in vs by nature but by grace because when God giues vnto vs the gift of faith he giues vs also to will to beleeue None comes to Christ but he is drawne of the father and to be drawne is when the vnwilling will is chaunged and by the power of God made a willing will I adde further that faith in the Messias is a speciall gift for two causes First because it is a gift aboue not onely corrupted but also aboue the first created nature For it was neuer in mans nature by creation Adam neuer had it neither did the morall law reueale it vnto vs because it neuer knew this faith Neuerthelesse other vertues as loue of God and man feare of God c. are reuealed of the law and were in mans nature by creation Again whereas all other gifts of God are giuen to them that are ingrafted into Christ faith is giuen to them that are to be ingrafted because it is the ingrafting and therefore can not be giuen to them that are alreadie in Christ but to them that are to be in Christ. Further I say that by faith we beleeue Christ and his benefits to be ours For this is the propertie of faith whereby it differs from all other graces of God When Thomas had put his finger into the side of Christ he said My Lord and my God to whōe Christ replied Because thou hast seene thou hast beleeued Where we see that this is faith to beleeue Christ to be our Lord our god Paul saith I liue by the faith of Christ now what he meanes by faith he shewes in the next words who hath loued ME and giuen himselfe FOR ME. If any man shall demand vpon what grounds because we are not to goe by imagination I say vpon what groundes he is to conceiue a faith that Christ is his Christ I answer the groundes are two The first is the commandement of God to beleeue Christ and his benefits to be ours 1. Ioh. 3. 23. This is his commandement that ye beleeue in the name of his sonne Iesus Christ. Now to beleeue in Christ is to put our confidence in him and we can put no confidence in him vnlesse we be first assured that he with his benefits is ours And whatsoeuer we aske in praier we are commaunded to beleeue that it shall be giuen vnto vs. Now aboue all things we are to aske that Christ and his benefits may be giuen vnto vs of God This therfore must we beleeue The second ground is this We must consider the maner that God vseth in propounding the promise of grace vnto vs for he doth not onely set it forth vnto vs in a generall sort but also he vseth meete and conuenient means to applie it to the persons of men First of all he confirmes it by oath that we our selues might the better applie it and reape sure consolation thereby Secondly God giueth vnto vs the spirit of adoption which beareth witnes to our consciences of such things as God hath giuen vnto vs in particular and are onely in generall manner propounded in the promise And this testimonie must be certen in it selfe and also plainely knowne vnto vs els is it no testimonie Thirdly both the Sacraments are seales of the promise in the lawfull vse whereof God offers yea exhibits Christ vnto vs and doth as it were write our names within the promise that we might not doubt Now then looke as God giues the promise so must we by faith receiue it But God giues the promise withall applies it we therefore must receiue the promise and by faith applie it to our selues If any man shall say that he can not conceiue a speciall faith vpon these groundes by reason of his vnbeleefe I answer that he must striue against his vnbeleefe and indeauour to beleeue by desiring asking seeking knocking and God will accept the will to beleeue for faith it selfe so be it there be an honest heart touched with sorrow for sinnes past and a purpose to sinne no more That we may yet better know what faith is vnderstand that there be two kindes of false faith like indeede to true faith and yet no faith at all The first is when a man conceiues in his heart a strong perswasion that Christ is his Sauiour and yet carries in the same heart a purpose to sinne and makes no change or amendment of his life This perswasion is nothing but presumption and a counterfeit of true faith whose propertie is to purifie the heart and to shew it selfe in the exercises of inuocation and true repentance The second is when men conceiue a strong perswasion that Christ is their Sauiour and yet for all this contemne and despise the Ministerie of the word and sacraments This also is an other counterfeit For true faith is conceiued cherished and confirmed by the vse of the word sacramēts And we must there seeke Christ where God will giue him vnto vs now God giues Christ in the word and sacraments and in them he doth as it were open his hand reach forth all the blessings of Christ vnto vs. We must not

and am content to depriue my selfe of them yea to loath them as dung for the obtaining of Christ. Furthermore the summe and substance of the wordes is a comparison of things vnequall and it may be formed thus All things are losse to me for Christ and Christ is my gaine The first part of the comparison is of Pauls losses and it is amplified two waies First he sets downe what things be his losse and they are of two sorts Priuiledges vertues and workes before his conuersion when he was a Pharisie againe priuiledges vertues and workes after his conuersion when he was an Apostle of Christ the first are mentioned in the 7. v. the latter in the eight Secondly Paul sets downe how all things are losses to him by a gradation thus I count all things losse I depriue my selfe of them I count them dung The second part of the comparison is of Pauls Gaine And it is amplified by a contrarie gradation thus I esteeme the knowledge of Christ an excellent thing I desire to gaine Christ and I desire to be found in him Of these points in order and first of Pauls losses before his conuersion in these words For the things that were vantage to me I counted losse for Christ. That these things may be well knowne let vs yet more narrowly search the meaning of these wordes The things that were vantage to Paul are of three sorts First his priuiledges that he was borne a Iewe that is a member of the church and againe that he was circumcised and brought vp in the straight sect of the Pharisies secondly his vertues namely his iustice zeale in his religion thirdly his workes whereby he for outward carriage obserued the Ceremoniall and Morall law without reproofe And all these things are called his aduantage because he put his confidence in thē and thought to merit euerlasting life thereby when he was a Pharisie He addes further that he counted these his aduantages to be his losse because so soone as he knew Christ his confidence ceased his former merits were no merits but as things lost and cast away yet not simply but for Christ that is that he might gaine Christ and be found in Christ as he expounds himselfe in the words following The meaning thus laide downe sundrie things may be learned The first that it was an heresie of the Pharisies to put confidence in their works to think that they could merite eternal life by thē for here Paul saith that being a pharisie his workes were his gaine and aduantage in the cause of his saluation And hence we learne what to iudge of the popish religion which teacheth in substance the very same doctrine of cōfidence in workes and of the merit of saluation thereby And therefore the papists of our time are the children of the old pharisies reuiuing and renuing the old heresie touching merit with new and fresh colours If they alleadge that they ascribe merit to the works not of the ceremoniall but of the morall law and to workes not of nature but of grace I answer that the pharisies did the same as the pharisie acknowledgeth in his praier when he saith I thanke thee O Lord I am not as other men c. Secondly in Pauls example beeing a Pharisie we learne that it is the pride arrogancie of mans nature to be something within himselfe and to erect vp something vnto himselfe to be his righteousnesse and a meanes of his saluation out of Christ. The iust saith Habacuk liues by his faith but he whose soule is not right in him puffes vp himselfe or builds towers of defence to himselfe by vaine confidence out of God The prodigall sonne must haue his part alone by himselfe from his father Paul saith of the Iewes that they established their owne righteousnesse and would not be subiect to the righteousnesse of God This beeing so let vs learne to see and detest this pride in our selues For where it raignes and takes place there Christ is not truely acknowledged and when men beginne to knowe Christ this hidden and spirituall pride giues place And further by this we learne not to maruell that Turkes and Iewes denie Christ and that Papists in the cause of their saluation beside the passion of Christ foiste in something of their owne namely their owne merits and satisfactions for it is the proude nature of man to set vp himself in whole or in part and to relie himselfe vpon something of his own out of Christ. No maruell then that such as be otherwise learned and wise liue die in the opinion of iustification by their owne workes Thirdly whereas Paul accompts things of aduantage to be his losse we learne that no priuiledges out of Christ minister true comfort or true happines It is a priuiledge to haue known Christ and to haue eaten drunken with him but of such Christ saith Depart from me I knowe you not It is a priuiledge to be of the kindred of our Sauiour Christ but it is of no moment for Christ saith Who is my mother and brethren he that doth the will of my father is my brother sister and mother It is a priuiledge that the virgin Mary was the mother of Christ but if shee had not as well borne him in her heart by faith as shee bare him in her wombe shee had not bin saued It is a priuiledge to prophesie in the name of Christ but of such Christ saith Depart from me ye workers of iniquitie Lastly it is a priuiledge to be indued with all kind of learning of artes and tongues but alas all is nothing for if a man had al wit wisdome and learning and could speake in all matters with the tongue of men and angels vnlesse he be found in Christ he is no better in the sight of god then a damned wretch This being so we must learne first of all to moderate our care and our affections for worldly profits honours pleasures our principall care must euermore be cast on Christ. Secondly such persons as liue an honest and ciuill life and stand vpon this that they are no theiues no murderers no adulterers no blasphemers but in outward duties shewe loue to God and man they must I say take heed least they deceiue themselues building vpon false groundes For though ciuill honestie be a thing commendable before men yet is it not sufficient to saue vs before God And Paul who was a straite obseruer of the lawe after he came to the knowledge of Christ counted all his morall obedience in which he had formerly trusted but losse and dungue for Christ. Fourthly it hath bin the doctrine of the popish Church this many yeres that before a man can be in Christ and be iustified he must first of all prepare and dispose himselfe to receiue his iustification and that when he is sufficiently disposed he doth merit of congruitie that god should infuse righteousnes wherby of a sinner he is made no