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
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

for their miscarriages in practice whether truly or falsely charg'd upon them For what is this more or better than the enmity that is in their hearts against God and his wayes And let it not offend any that I say so till they have heard what I have yet to say That many eminent Professors have faulted and fallen and that most foully cannot be denied because the Scriptures have furnish'd us with so many sad Instances in this kind And that the most of Gods faithful Servants have been fam'd or defam'd rather as guilty of the same or the like is clear from Scripture and from experience in all ages But whether the faults of Professors be reall or only feigned still I say again the Scandall that is taken by so many is an Argument of the old hatred and shews an inbred desire to have the wayes of God slurr'd that they may have an excuse for slighting them And if it be so as I hope to make it appear we have another Evidence that men have Light enough but have no mind to walk by it For why should any man cry out as many do against Professors and profession of Religion if there were not somewhat more than what they are willing to have known by themselves But I shall argue it a little further thus First I 'le suppose the Scandall to be indeed reall What then Is that a ground sufficient to say I will never goe in the way that such pretended to A man indeed may and ought to say I will never do as such have done wherein they have done amiss And this both Religion and Reason will teach us But therefore to slight and set at naught all Profession and the very face and shew of Religion to say no more is most unreasonable and a sufficient evidence of that enmity which is by Nature in the hearts of all men against God and his wayes For what is Gods way the worse because such and such have turn'd aside from it Nay is it better than blasphemy to cry out with open mouth against that which is of God because of that which is vile and base in men David committed Adultery and Murder too and therein occasion'd the enemies of God to blaspheme which was the great aggravation of his sin and punishment But observe It was blasphemy in the enemies of God and they were Gods enemies that took occasion to blaspheme For those enemies might have known and should have taken notice that David's God had forbidden those horrid sins by his righteous Laws written in the hearts of all men and therefore had no cause to speak or think the worse of him for his Servants offences Was Christ the worse or the less to be esteem'd because Peter denied and forswore him What reason then is there in making the wayes of God to suffer for the faults of those that pretend to them The wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them but the transgressours shall fall therein Hos. 14.9 The best Master may have a base Servant and the best Prince may have a Traytor amongst his Subjects must the good Prince or Master bear the fault of the bad Subject or Servant Or is subjection and service to be denied by others because some Servants and Subjects are not so good as they should be And in such cases every man will say There is no cause And what reason I pray is there in this case more than in those These be the people of Iehovah said the enemies of both Ezech. 36.20 These be your great Professors say many But who None but enemies to God and godliness Oh! say they See what such an one hath done We will grant it and 't is but too true He hath done what he ought not to have done But why is this cast as dirt in the face of all Professors and profession of Religion The God whom they serve alloweth them not in their so doing He hath forbidden them to do so and commanded them the quite contrary And all the wayes of his Commandments are holy just and good To profess the true Religion is good and according to the mind of God though it be not all that 's good For to a good profession must be added a good conversation and the Power of Godliness must goe along with the Form of it If a man profess and practice not accordingly thou hast no cause to slight his profession but rather to do what he did not viz. Adorn thy profession with a suitable conversation In this I plead not for empty outside Professors that dishonour as much as may be the profession of Religion I shall rather advise them to one of these two viz. To let their conversation hold pace with their profession that the Name of God be not blasphemed or else to lay aside their profession For such loose Professors of Religion exceedingly wrong themselves and others and God most of all as might be easily shewn in many Particulars But I shall only say what is enough That they do as if they design'd to make all the World scorn and hate God and his wayes Men should not indeed slight Gods wayes for the looseness of those that pretend to walk in them as was said before But too many are so minded as they will blaspheme and these Professors give them occasion of so doing And just so in a manner do all they who from their Pulpits will declame against the Vices of others when all their Auditors know them to live in some or other of those same Vices and repent not Such preaching of such Preachers is a fair Argument to encourage the looser sort in slighting all preaching and all profession of Religion For what will they say other than this If there be such danger in such wayes as we are told and so much necessity of taking up a more precise course why doth not our Minister and others like him practice their own Doctrine Whatever they say when they are in the Church we see well enough what they do elsewhere and at other times Why may not we run the adventure as well as they And indeed it is the ready way to perswade people That all the matters of God and Religion are of no great concernment when they see they are discours'd of sometimes for fashion and in a form by such as believe not what themselves say They that preach thus as it were in jest are not likely to bring others to practice in good earnest And to speak all in a few words Such Preachers and Professors as before if they would set their wits on work to make all the World Atheist as once it was Arian cannot devise a more compendious way and method for the purpose But though such Preachers and Professors there be yet whoever shall therefore stand off or turn aside from the wayes of Gods Commandments will in the day of account be inexcusably guilty before the Lord of neglecting his duty Is there so

it lyeth when ●●ere are so many wayes cryed up and every one is ●●tended to be the only good way We have need of ● clue to lead us out of such a labyrinth for else 't is impossible for us to find our way Sol. This is indeed a Question worth the an●wering and 't will not be much beside my de●ign to say somewhat about it For the many various and different perswasions of men in matters of Religion are enough ●o stumble those who will be glad of any occa●●on to quarrel the way of their own Salvation ●nd for their sakes I shall say what I am able ●o give them satisfaction if it may be That there are many and different perswasions 〈◊〉 men about the matters of God is that which cannot be denied But that those different perswasions ought to hinder our enquiries or are a sufficient excuse for our carelessness about the concernments of our Souls I deny and for my denial I give these following Reasons First If such differences were a ground su●●●cient to excuse us then all that went Heave● way since the beginning of the World almost might plead it as well as we For what age or time can be shewed when it was otherwise Differences of Religion are indeed sad but th●● are no new things Adam's Children were 〈◊〉 divided about Religion or else we had not 〈◊〉 of the Sons of God and the Daughters of men 〈◊〉 early in the World 'T is plain they all 〈◊〉 profess'd not one way or if they did they 〈◊〉 farr divided in their practices As Noah walk●● with God when all flesh had corrupted his way And after the Flood were they not divided i● their Religions as much as in their Language● Who so reads the Story recorded in Genesis may see the World was peopled with those tha● serv'd some one God and some another and few were they that serv'd the living and tru● God in a right manner and yet some such ther● were in all ages How was Israel divided abou● the way of worshipping God after the re●● made by Ieroboam And not to be tedious in I●●stances How many Sects were there in Chris● time and before Yea and presently after th● Gospel was published how did Sects arise an● swarm in every corner of the World And 〈◊〉 it hath been ever since they must be very ign●●rant that do not know But what of all this God had his faith●ul Servants that followed him in the good old way of truth and holiness in all those times and we never read or hear of any complaints they made That there were so many opinions and perswasions as they could not tell which to follow No they did as all others ought to do apply themselves to search and enquire what way God had prescribed and seeking it in sincerity with all their hearts they found out that way wherein they found rest to their Souls For this purpose observe the resolution of Gods people as you have it Micah 4.5 Though other people pleased themselves in their superstitions and opposed themselves against them yet they resolved to stick fast to the wayes of God in his Word God indeed suffered all Nations to walk in their own wayes before Christs coming in the flesh otherwise than afterwards in that Gospel-grace was not published throughout the World equally and indifferently to the Gentiles as to the Iews And God hath since suffered men to arise in the Christian Church and teach perverse things and so there have grown many Sects and Parties in matters of Religion very different and contrary But God never left men without light to discern of things that differ and to descry the good and the right way if they had pleas'd to make use of it The Apostle faith 1 Cor. 11.19 There must be Heresies or Sects and gives a good reason for it as our Saviour saith It must needs be that offences come Mat. 18.7 Yet no man hath any cause to complain and say We cannot see which is the right way because of those Heresies and Offences God by them puts us to use our best skill and endeavours for finding out the good and the right way and by those differences makes appear who are sincere and sound at heart For such there were notwithstanding those differences and such there are and will be to the Worlds end Hence nothing can be spoken more frivolous than to say There are so many Religions a man cannot tell which to chuse It is all one as for a man to say There are so many lanes and turnings in his way to such a place as he will never think of going thither though his whole Estate be in hazard and no way to help it but by such a journey What do men when they are bound to travel but resolve to goe on and make the best enquiry they can to find out the way And so should we in this case and to be otherwise minded is a very madness 2 dly The way to Heaven is not so hard to be found if we had hearts resolved to walk in it There 's a great fallacy in the Argument which had need be discovered For in truth men deceive themselves by it whiles they consider not that their hearts are naturally at enmity with God and his wayes and because they have no mind to goe where God commands and sends them they frame an excuse and pretend there are so many wayes as 't is impossible to find the right And to speak as it is this is all the cause and here lies all the fault If men were willing to goe in Gods wayes they would never complain so much of the difficulty in finding them 'T is an easie matter to find an excuse when a man wants a good will to any thing whatever it be A Lion is in all wayes where the slothful man is to goe 3 dly And for this purpose consider farther That the way to Heaven must be discern'd and discover'd by that which is the proper mark and character of it as we find it in Scripture Now in the matters of Gods Kingdom some are more essential substantial and of greater consequence than others so as they who differ about some particulars may yet be right in the main and all in Heavens way 'T were sad indeed if every difference in a punctilio should make another way to Heaven Where are there two men in all the World that are of one mind in every thing God forbid that among the different perswasions that are about some things in the way of administring Christs Ordinances we should allow of none to be in the way to Heaven that is otherwise minded in some Particulars than we our selves are There are many roads to a great City and yet they that goe the one or the other come alike to it because all those several wayes have a tendency towards it All the question is and must be Whether the way we take be such as hath a