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
A95348	Theophosoi [sic] theophiloi: God's fearers are God's favourites, or, An encouragement to fear God in the worst times delivered in several sermons / by ... Nath. Tucker ...	Tucker, Nath.; Kentish, Richard.; Whitfield, Thomas.	1662 (1662)	Wing T3209A; ESTC R42917	82,402	157

vale of Siddim slimy and slippery full of Lime-pits and pitfals snares stumbling-blocks laid on purpose to maim and to mischief our souls But now he that truly fears God comes off without great hurt he keepeth his heart with all diligence he watcheth the very thoughts and motions of his heart he will not suffer vain thoughts to lodge there but labours to wash it from all filthiness that so he may perfect holiness in the fear of God This fear of God weeds hypocrisie out of the heart pride arrogancie and every secret way of iniquity Job was a man fearing God and therefore he durst not once to think lustfully upon a maid this was that which made him to refrain contemplative wickedness Job 31.1 And then 3. As this holy fear of God cleanseth the Head and the Heart so it cleanseth the Hands too it keeps the Life and Conversation pure Prov. 3.7 saith Solomon there Fear the Lord and depart from evil The fear of the Lord is to depart from evil that Beloved is the definition of the fear of God Eschewing of evil is not onely put as an effect of the fear of God as when 't is said of Job Chap. 1.1 that man was perfect and upright and one that feared God and eschewed evil but it is put I say in the very definition it self of the fear of God 't is the nature of this fear of God to depart from evil not onely from habitual and inward but likewise from outward and practical evil from publike as well as from private and secret evil See what Jehoshaphat saith in his charge unto his Judges when they were going their Circuit 2 Chron. 19.7 Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you take heed and do it for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God nor respect of persons nor taking of gifts q. d. This fear of God if it be upon you if it be radicated and rooted in your hearts will teach you to forbear Bribery and iniquity with your hands It was the fear of God Beloved that reined in Joseph from condescending to the wicked motion of his wanton Mistress though he might have committed that folly and the world have been never the wiser I can proceed no further at present in the tryal of this holy fear of God Examine your selves by what hath been said If with those godly ones here in my Text you are men and women truly fearing the Lord then this fear of God hath had this cleansing influence upon you and hath cleansed your Heads Hearts and Hands Secondly As this holy fear of God cleanseth the Head Heart and Hand from sin so doth it no less frame the heart to the doing of duty and that 1. towards God 2. towards men For as you heard before the fear of God is a very extensive and comprehensive grace it includes the whole duty of man not onely his Negative duty what he ought not to do but his Positive duty too what he ought to do In the first place then this holy fear of God frames the heart to the performance of its duty towards God And here I shall instance onely in two duties 1. It perswades the heart to believe God and his Word The Scripture noteth this expresly of the Patriarch Noah Heb. 11.7 By faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet moved with fear prepared an ark c. Moved with fear what is that i. e. with a reverent fear of that God that spake unto him Noah's heart being touched with the true fear of God believed God even in those things which were not as yet seen he believed those forewarnings of God concerning the judgment he purposed to bring upon the world and accordingly prepared an Ark whereby he saved his houshold and condemned the wicked world Thus the Israclites possest with this filial fear believed God and his servant Moses You may see this clearly Ezod 14.31 And the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and his servant Moses Pray observe it well the people feared the Lord c. As Faith may be and is the ground of holy Fear so holy Fear may sometimes draw forth acts of Faith it will make a man tremble as much at the Threats of his Word as at the Strokes of his Hand And then 2. As it frames the heart to a believing of God and his Word so likewise to an obeying of God and his Word the holy obedience of his revealed will Psal 103.17 18. saith David there But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and his righteousness unto childrens children to such as keep his covenant and to those that remember his commandments to do them He describes you see them that fear God to be such as keep his Covenant and remember his Commandments to do them A soul truly fearing God is afraid to disobey God his heart with David's will stand in awe of Gods Word And hence 't is that in Scripture sometimes you finde the fearing of God and keeping of his Commandments sometimes fearing God and working righteousness joyned together The former you may see Psal 119.63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy precepts Of them that fear thee and keep thy precepts a man cannot fear God but he must observe his precepts So again Eccles 12.13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man The connexion of these two shews us that the fear of God is a principle of obedience they that fear him will keep his commandments yea they do so in an Evangelical way though they cannot attain unto yet they wish well to exact and accurate obedience The later you shall finde Acts 10.35 But in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him A man fearing God will be active and doing he will be working righteousness and that which is good And thus have you briefly heard to what particular duties this Fear frames the heart towards God I am to shew you in the next place how and in what duties it draws the heart in reference to Man The Fear of God hath a double bond in it a bond of Obedience to God and a bond of Love to Men. Well then in the first place the true fear of God is ever joyned with love unto our brethren The Apostle puts so much of Religion or of the fear of God for they are both one in the love to our brethren as that in one place he makes it all Religion yea the very definition of the fear of God Jam. 1.27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this To visit the fatherless in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world This is Religion and pure Religion i.e. This is a great branch and part of Religion 't is a

use the world as though we used it not but Be not conformed unto this world The word in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Accommodate not your selves to the world so Erasmus reads it Fashion not your selves to the world so Beza But in ours and some other Translations Conform not c. As a Player is fashioned to the gesture and words either of drunkenness or adultery when he acteth them on the scaffold that is the true notation of the word Be not conformed to this world i.e. Do not make the manners of the world the rule of your life let not your corrupt mindes which will carry you after a corrupt world prevail with you Now these are the precepts which are laid down by way of Negation I shall give you two that are set down by way of Affirmation Acts 2.43 saith Peter there Save your selves from this untoward generation i.e. from the corrupt society of unbelievers And again 2 Cor. 6.17 Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord q.d. Do not comply with the corruptions of the world let all these go whatever you lose or suffer for it Thus much for the precepts In the second place I shall commend this duty unto you from the constant practice of the people of God even in all ages See an instance of it 1. in Noah when the whole earth was corrupt before God he walked perfectly uprightly with God in his generation Gen. 7.1 Noah walked alone in a way different from a world of wicked people he was most sincere in the service of God in the darkest midnight of damned impiety 2. Abraham pull'd as a brand out of Ur of the Caldees where-ever he came he set up altars to God in the midst of Idolaters and makes open profession of his worship before the people of the land Gen. 12.6 7 8 So Joshua after him Josh 24.15 Do you what you will though you do generally universally serve other gods I and my house will serve the Lord. See this in Elijah who was zealous for the Lord God of hosts though alone and singular 1 King 19.10 I might tell you of Obadiah who seared the Lord greatly in a common defection 1 King 18. But come we unto the New Testament and let us see what practice of this duty we finde there I shall begin with Christ who is the original copie an infallible unerring example he was eaten up with the zeal of his Fathers house when it was polluted and profaned by all sorts Joh. 2.14 15 16 17. The Apostles after his departure resolved to obey God notwithstanding the menaces of the Councel Acts 4.19 20. Paul openly contesteth with the Gentiles at Athens about their fensless superstition Acts 17.22 Antipas held forth the Word of life even unto the death where Satans throne was Rev. 2.13 Polycarp that blessed Martyr of Jesus Christ who being commanded by the Tyrant to do sacrifice to the Idol returns this answer Eighty and odde years have I served my master Christ and he never deceived me and shall I now desert him God forbid me any such wickedness Octoginta sex annos ills servui c. It were easie to come lower and nearer our own times and to produce a whole cloud of such who held forth the Word of life by a bold and wise profession in the darkness of Popery But I will give you one onely instance more and then conclude it was Athanastus that notable champion of Christ who stood stoutly to the defence of the Truth when all the Christian world beside was turned Arrian Ille v●r totius orbis impetum sustinuit the whole world was set against Athanasius and Athanasius against the whole world And thus you have heard how the force-mentioned duty hath been practised by the servants of God I come to the Grounds of the Point If you look either upward or downward either to God or men you will finde Reason sufficient for the practice of this duty all which Reasons are grounded upon the text and shall be thence gathered I shall begin with the first The Reasons taken from God and they shall be these two 1. God doth exactly observe and graciously accept of such his servants as continue constant with him in corrupt and depraved times in a general defection or declension when sin is grown usual and almost epidemical then to adhere to the Truths Ways and Ordinances of God Oh how pleasing and acceptable is this unto God! The Lord hearkned and heard saith my Text God was much taken and affected with those sweet conferences those godly dialogues and discourses which dropt from the mouthes of the godly of those times he hearkned and heard it was melodious and delightful musick to his heavenly ears and he doth as it were apply his ears close he lays them near to their lips as loth to lose any part of their holy language The lord hearkned and heard 1 Pet. 3.12 saith the Apostle there The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers or as 't is in the Original His ears are unto or rather into their prayers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now what the Apostle there speaks of that individual or particular duty of Prayer is as true of their whole Christian practice not a prayer which the godly put up not a good work they do not a good word which they utter no not a good thought which they conceive but the Lords eyes are upon it and his ears open unto it he sets it all down in his Register or Note-book A book of remembrance was written But then 2. As the Lord doth graciously accept of this practice so will he plentifully reward it this labour of faith and love shall never be forgotten it shall not onely be entred or ingrossed in a book of remembrance but they they shall be mine saith the Lord of hosts 1. They shall be mine i.e. I will not onely own them by a general right as my creatures but by a special peculiar and distinguishing title as my children my Saints and Servants such as have made a covenant with me by sacrifice I will be their God and they shall be my people I will look upon them as the top of my wealth and my most esteemed treasure as my Jewels whom I will keep safe in the golden Cabinet of my special providence and fatherly protection But this is not all I will spare them too as a man spareth his onely son that serveth him i.e. I will not cast them out or reject them for every small fault for every flaw or defect in their services I shall give them their allowance pass by and over-look their weaknesses How effectual me thinks might these Considerations be to provoke us to a holy contention in godliness when the times are never so bad and boisterous Hereby we shall please God hereby we shall procure good unto our selves And thus in brief of the first sort of