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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	believe_v	faith_n	testimony_n	1,573	5	8.5071	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55567	A sanctuary for the tempted: being a discourse on Christ's friendly admonition to Peter Wherein the fall and rising of Peter, is at large considered: the craft, potency, and malice of Satan (that arch-enemy of our salvation) discovered: his various wiles. stratagems and machinations invalidated: several choice and excellent Gospel-truths handled, and cleared (from the calumnies and objections of gainsayers.) ... Delivered in sundry sermons, at first; and now, published for the benefit of God's church in general. To which is added, four sermons, preach'd upon sacramental occasions. By Thomas Powel, preacher of the Gospel, and one, whom Satan hath winnowed.	Powell, Thomas.	1679 (1679)	Wing P3075; ESTC R30536	152,491	435

us and they do keep our Graces in Vigour For it is Grace in its Actings that Resemble God who is Himself a Pure Act alwayes in Action And every Thing the nearer it comes to God the more it hath its Perfection in Working When Spices are Beaten then they send forth their Fragrant Smell So when God's Servants are in the Furnace of Tryals then their Graces send forth their Sweetness Grace is alwayes the better for its wearing A Tool that is daily used is kept Bright and Shining And so Grace when it is most Exercised it is most Glorious and Beautiful God is highly displeas'd when Graces in our Souls lye Dormant God loves that his Children should be in Exercise For the Soul without Action is like the Instrument not Play'd upon or like a Ship alwayes in Haven Tenthly and Lastly We are Tempted that we may be Glorifyed The more Temptations we have now the more Glory we shall have hereafter Gerhard in his Meditations saith thus Christ Descended first into Hell and afterwards he Ascended up to Heaven and so it must be with all the Faithful They must first Descend into the Hell of Temptation before they can Ascend up to Heaven And therefore the more Temptations here the more Glory will be heaped up in Heaven Rom. 8. 17. If we Suffer with Him Christ we shall also Reign with Him And so 1 Pet. 1. 7. Nay further Our Temptations will also Sweeten as well as Augment Heavenly Glory The Philosopher Zeno said Pleasures were nothing worth if Torments sometimes were not Experienced Tertullian hath a very Pathetical Expression and very pregnant to the Matter in hand The Greater the Combates the Greater are the following Rewards Temptations do but add Pearles unto our Crown No Wearing of the Crown but by Bearing of the Cross. I shall conclude with an Excellent Speech of St. Austin That I may after this Languishing Life see Christ in Glory and be Partaker of so great a Good VVhat though Sickness weakens me Labours oppress me VVatchings spends me Cold be-nums me Heat inflames me nay though my whole Life be spent in Sighs and Sorrows VVhat is all to that Rest which shall ensue in the Life to come The Result of all from this Doctrine shall be this If Satan be a Chained Enemy let not Christians fear him over-much Look upon all Satan's Fiery Darts to be but as the VVaves tossing the Ark yet saving Noah Or as the Whale swallowing up yet preserving Ionah Or as the Dragon pursuing the Woman yet procuring her greater Preservation Or as the File grating the Iron yet making it Clearer and Brighter than before Or as the Mill grinding the Wheat yet making it Useful Or as the Coals heating Perfume yet making it thereby more Odoriferous CHAP. XIII I Have now done with the Second Point of Doctrine and therefore shall proceed to the Third the VVords do afford Viz. That Satan in all his Assaults strikes principally at Faith This is that which he makes as his Butt at which he shoots viz. our Faith This he would fain weaken and if he could shatter to Pieces But that this Point may be rightly improved this Method shall be us'd 1. What this Faith is 2. What that Faith is which the ●…il strikes at 3. Confirm the Point 4. Assigne some Reasons for the same 5. Make Application SECT I. First For the First What this Faith is Unto which I Answer The VVord Faith hath many Acceptions in Scriptures Sometimes it is taken Objectively and so it imports the Gospel or Object of Faith Thus St. Paul Preached the Faith Gal 1. 23. That is the Gospel which is the great Engine that lets down God's Faith to Men and catches up Men's Faith to God Sometimes it imports a Dogmatical or Historical Faith which is an Assent to the Word of God as True and Infallible Thus the very Devils believe a God and which is more than many Sinful Worms they Tremble Iam. 2. 19. Sometimes it imports a Temporary Faith which is but a Dogmatical Faith Budding and Blossoming with some Tasts and Joyes in the Things of God Thus the Stony Ground Received the VVord with Ioy Matth. 13. 20. Sometimes it imports Saving Faith called by the Apostle Precious Faith 2 Pet. 1. 1. This Faith Virtually includes all the rest and it is this which the Devil strikes at SECT II. Secondly What is that Faith which the Devil strikes at VVhy it is Saving Faith Because that Faith doth apprehend Christ and his Merits and fetches from thence Power against the Devil And therefore he strikes at it So that when-ever we talk of a Faith that the Devil strikes at we must still understand a Saving Faith SECT III. Thirdly This Point of Doctrine is to be Confirm'd viz. That Satan in all his Assaults strikes principally at Faith Now this appears in these Things First In that God's Childrens Faith hath very often Strong Conflicts and Combates in so much that they are forced to cry out and say Wo is me VVhat shall I do VVhat shall I do The Saints Faith and the Devil's Temptations do oft-times strive together like the Sun and the Cloud to me a fit Emblem thereof One would get the Mastery and the Other would get the Mastery Secondly In that God's Children's Faith is sometimes weakned and lost Gradually as to some Degrees of it though it shall Recover it self again by the Powerful Influences of the Holy Ghost All that I have said about this may be confirm'd in Abraham David Peter and Paul SECT IV. The Reasons of the Point may be these First The First Reason may be this Faith hath the Preheminence above all other Graces It is the Chiefest of Graces It is among Graces as the Sun is among the Planets or as Solomon's Vertuous Woman among the Daughters Prov. 31. 29. Though every Grace hath done Vertuously yet thou O Faith Excels them The Apostle indeed gives the Precedency to Love and sets Faith on the Lower Hand 1 Cor. 13. 13. Now abideth Faith Hope Charity these Three but the Greatest is Charity But you must observe That this Prelation of it before Faith hath a particular Respect to the Saints Blessed Estate in Heaven where Love remains and Faith ceaseth In which regard Love indeed is the Greater because it is the End of our Faith We apprehend by Faith that we may Enjoy by Love But if we consider the Christians present State while Militant on Earth in this respect Love must give place to Faith 'T is true Love is the Grace that shall Triumph in Heaven but it is Faith not Love which is the Conquering Grace on Earth 1 Ioh. 5. 4. This is the Victory that over-cometh the World even our Faith Love indeed hath its Place in the Battle and doth Excellent Service but it is under Faith its Leader Gal. 5. 6. Faith which worketh by Love Even as the Captain Fighteth by his Souldiers whom he Leads on

9. Iam. 1. 21. Ioh. 1. 14. Arg. 5. Fifthly The Love of God to his Chosen Ones is Unchangeable Ioh. 13. 1. Ier. 31. 3. Isa. 54. 4 5 6 7 8. 10. Arg. 6. Sixthly Their Union with their Head Christ Iesus is Unseparable Ioh. 10. 28. Matth. 16. 18. Hos. 2. 19. Arg. 7. Seventhly The Kingdom and Dominion of Christ within them is Invincible Luk. 1. 33. Luk. 21. 22. Dan. 2. 44. Psal. 2. 9. Arg. 8. Eighthly The Power by which they are Supported is Unconquerable 1 Pet. 1. 4 5. Psal. 73. 24. 1 Cor. 1. 8 9. Arg. 9. Ninethly No Temptation shall utterly cast them down 1 Cor. 10. 13. Matth. 8. 26. Arg. 10. Tenthly The Saving Gifts and Graces of God's Spirit are without Repentance Rom. 11. 29. Ier. 32. 40 41. Arg. 11. Eleventhly All turn for the Best to them that Love God Rom. 8. 28. All these Arguments Christian Reader in my Mind do so Evince the Truth that no Grounds of Doubting can be left SECT III. Testimonies Antient. 1. That this Truth may not appear as a Novelty see it owned by the Church and divers Worthies Antient and Modern Saint Chrysostome on Luk. 22. vers 32. But I have Prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not seems to be of this Opinion Mark saith he he doth not say I have Prayed for thee that thou shouldst not Deny me but I have Prayed that thy Faith should not Vanish and be Abolished As for Augustine 't is well known he writ a whole Book of the Perseverance of the Saints in which he has these Excellent Expressions Perseverance is a continual Profes●… of Faith and Demonstration of the ●…its of Faith Because the Elect al●…es Retain their Faith and some ●…its of it They are alwayes as the ●…ee planted by the River-side Psal. 1. vers 3. They are alwayes held up by the Hand 〈◊〉 Jehovah and therefore cannot fall They are alwayes like Mount Zion ●…hich cannot be Removed Psal. 25. ●…rs 1. Bernhard in his Epistle 129. and Ser. ●…7 Cant. hath many Excellent Things ●…out Perseverance Those who would be further Satis●…d as to the Judgment of the Fa●…rs may find Passages enough for ●…at end Collected to their Hands 〈◊〉 Dr. Kendal's Sancti Sanciti in Eng●…h and in Latin in Hier. Zanch. De ●…rs Sanct. in Miscell V. 3. Oper. Alsted in his Famous Book of Theology saith That Perseverance is a Gift and such a Gift whereby God doth so firmly keep his Elect in a State of Grace as that they shall never fall from thence Dr. Wolleby in his System of Divinity hath Five Arguments deduced 1. From the Certainty of our Election Matth. 24. 24. 2 Tim. 2. 19. 2. The Certainty of our Vocation Rom. 11. 29. 3. The Certainty of our Faith though Weak if it be True 4. The Certainty of our Iustification Rom. 8. v. 1. 5. The Certainty of our Sanctification Phil. 1. 6. Calvin was clearly for this Point as you may see in his Institutions Luther's Words about this Doctrine are many in divers of his Writings One Passage of his especially I cannot omit which I find quoted by Dr. Manton in his Notes on Iude pag. 58. As 't is impossible to sever the Leaven and the Dough when they are once mingled and kneaded together So Christ and a Believer when they are United together there is no Parting more Melancthon on these Words Quis separabit nos a dilectione Dei Who shall separate us from the Love of God has these Famous Lines which I shall Transcribe Conclusio est totius Consolationis Cum Deus diligat nos propter Meritum Intercessionem Filii certissimum est servaturum esse Ecclesiam etiamsi est infirma horribilibus Furoribus Diabolorum Impiorum oppugnatur Disputant autem hîc aliqui An possit Electus amittere Dilectionem quâ Deum diligit Haec Questio aliena est ab hoc loco Dictum est autem alibi Electos posse labi sicut lapsi sunt Adam Eva Aaron David Paulus autem hic loquitur de Dilectione qua Deus universam Ecclesiam diligit loquitur de Conservatione Universae Ecclesiae Deinde etiam de singulis Membris quae reverae per Fidem sunt Ecclesiae Membra Haec Dilectio in Promissione revelata est quae affirmat Deum semper collecturum esse Ecclesiam quae in totâ Eternitate fruetur ejus Vitâ Justitiâ Laetitiâ juxta Dictum Portae Inferorum non praevalebunt adversus eam Adfirma●… item Promissio Conversos qui verâ Fide inseruntur Christo diligi â Deo ut Johan 14. dicitur S●… quis diligit me sermonem meum servabit De hâc Certitudine hic loquitur quâ Conservationem universae Ecclesiae scimus certam esse Certò etia●… scimus singulos perseverantes in Fide salvos fore Addit igitur Servabitur Ecclesia etiamsi erunt magna Certamina oppugnabitur variis modis dulcedine Vitae metu Mortis insidi is Diabolorum terroribus Tyrannorum Exercituum Nam Tyranno●… nominat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exercitus autem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 videlicet Tota agmina persequentium SECT IV. Modern Testimonies 2. WE are in a better State by Christ than we should have been in if we had continued in Adam speaking of Perseverance I shall Transcribe a Letter concerning Falling away from Grace by that Incomparable Prelate Ioseph Hall My good Mr. B. you send me Flowers from your Garden and look for some in return out of mine I do not more willingly send you these than I do thankfully receive the other I could not keep my Hand from the Paper upon the Receipt of your Letters though now in the Midst of my Attendance As my Desire of your Satisfaction calls me to Write something so my other Employments force me to Brevity in a Question wherein it were easie to be endless I am sorry that any of our New Excuti-fidians should pester your Suffolk although glad in this that they could not light upon a Soyl more Fruitful of able Oppugners It is a Wonder to me to think that Men should labour to be Witty to rob themselves of Comfort Good Sir Let me know these New Disciples of Leyden that I may Note them with that Black Coal they are worthy of Troublers of a better Peace than that of the Church the Peace of the Christian Soul They pretend Antiquity What Heresie doth not so What marvel is it if they would wrest Fathers to them while they use Scripture it self so Violently For that their First Instance of Hymeneus and Alexander how vain is it like themselves Nothing can be more plain than that those Men were Gross Hypocrites who doubts therefore but they might fall from all that Good they pretended to have What is this to prove that a True Child of God may do so But say they these Men had Faith and a Good Conscience True such a Faith and