Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	call_v	church_n	pillar_n	2,921	5	10.5182	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76023	Plain truths of divivinity [sic]. Collected out of the sacred Scriptures, & set forth by way of question and answer the best way conceived for the information of the judgement of the Christian reader. Wherein is set forth many excellent things which are not commonly publshed [sic]. Especially the destruction of Antichrist, and the yeare when it shall be: the coming of the Lord Christ to judgement, and his reigning with his saints for ever upon this earth, at the restitution of all things.	Alcock, John, fl. 1647.	1647 (1647)	Wing A887; Thomason E1176_4; ESTC R204909	45,978	119

manifest unto them when God shall reveale them unto his Saints by making such a cleare evidence of his grace to appeare so that they may discerne the same worke of grace in others that is in themselves For it is impossible that true grace should alwayes lye hid but it will be manifested at one time or other to the comfort and rejoycing of the rest of the Saints Quest But by the parable of the Draw-net in the thirteenth of Mathew it doth appeare that there may be wicked men in the Church undiscovered and not knowne to be hypocrites untill the great day of the Lord Answ It is true there may bee such for I doe not say that all hypocrites may be discerned and knowne but that it is possible for the Saints to know one another even in this life Quest If all the Saints may be discerned and knowne then those that are not discerned to bee Saints are to be judged hipocrites Answ We cannot so conclude of them for though they bee nor as yet discerned and knowne yet afterwards they may be or they may be Saints and depart this life undiscerned through want of the fellowship of the Saints who onely are able to discern the truth of grace in the Saints Quest But how may we discern and know others to be Saints Answ It is very hard to set down any particular notes whereby they may be knowne because the graces that do demonstrate them to be Saints are inward and therefore are better conceived then can be expressed in word by us neverthelesse if we can upon good ground assure our selves that we are Saints let us see and observe wherein we go beyond an hypocrite in the injoying of any speciall and peculiar grace and then let us expect and look for the same grace in others and wheresoever we find that blessed worke of grace and fruit of the good tree ingrafted into Christ by a lively faith we may certainly conclude he is a good tree because he bringeth forth good fruit Quest But the most holy and righteous do daily sinne and do that which is evill and hypocrites may also do many good things even works which are very good in outward appearance Answ It is true indeed but yet notwithstanding the evill which the Saints do is none of their fruit nor the good that hypocrites do is none of their fruit It cannot properly be called their fruit for the fruit is that which doth discover the tree either to be good or evill Matth. 7.16.20 Rom. 7.19 Quest What is then the fruit of the good tree that doth discover it self and prove him to be a good tree Answ The fruit of the good tree ingrafted into Christ is manifold but principally it is love which hath its first beginning from the apprehension of Gods love to them and is first returned to God again and to the Lord Jesus Christ next to their brethren the begotten of God to all men even to their very enemies doing good even to them that hate them Mat. 5.44 1 Joh. 4.19 Chap. 5.1 Quest What is the fruit of the evil tree Answ It is also manifold but principally it consists in the contrary to this fruit of the good tree as contempt of God and despising and hating of his truth and children Quest But hipocrites may dissemble a love unto God and to his truth and children Answ It is true but yet they cannot so dissemble to make the children of God believe and account them for Saints yet they will hope the best of them untill their dissimulation be made manifest and they discovered to be evill trees Quest But is it possible to know them to be Saints of a sudden assoon as they come to converse with them Answ No certainly especially in these times wherein we live for no doubt corruption doth beare great sway in many that no doubt are Saints and the power of Grace doth not manifest it self in many by reason of many discouragements that they meet with and for want of examples to go before them to incourage them and therefore it is very hard to discern them hence it comes to passe that it is held an impossible thing to know them in this life Quest How are the company of Saints called in the Scriptures Answ They are called by many honourable names and titles as the Church of Christ his body his spouse his habitation his Temple Sion Jerusalem the pillar and ground of truth and many such like Ephes 5.30 1 Cor. 12.27 Cant. 4.8.9.10 2 Cor. 6.16 Gal. 4.26 Quest When is this Church and company of Saints to be found Answ This Church is dispersed over the whole world even amongst the very heathen Quest How can it be that there should be any Saints in such places seeing they are ignorant of Christ and there is no name under Heaven whereby we may be saved but onely by the name of Iesus Christ Acts 4.12 Answ It is true neither are they saved by any other name under heaven but by Christ alone Quest How can they be saved by him who never came to know him either to come or come in the flesh Answ It may well be notwithstanding for there is left in man even since his fall a certaine knowledge of God and that he is to be feared and served and there is also a law written in their hearts condemning of them for disobeying the law of God whereby they come to see themselves miserable and to be lyable to the wrath of this just God though they know not how they came to be so at the first and also they see the goodnesse of God extended towards them manifested in his creatures God also working in them by his spirit perswading them that if they will seek mercy at his hands he will be mercifull to their souls as well as to their bodies and this mercy of God is extended unto them for Christ his sake though they know not by whose meanes and for whose sake they receive it Rom. 2.14 15.26 Acts 14.17 Rom. 1.19 20. Qu. Is there not a communion and fellowship amongst the Saints although they be thus dispersed Answ Yes verily they have a spirituall communion and fellowship all partaking of the same grace all being begotten by one father all born of water and spirit all partakers of one precious faith all ruled and governed by one and the same holy spirit who worketh in them a love to one another though they never beheld the faces one of another and do joy and rejoyce in the happinesse and prosperity one of another and for that end are dayly sutors to God in prayer one for another Ephes 2.14 Chap. 4.4.5.6 Quest What is the duty of the Saints being made known one to another Answ Their duty is to assemble themselves together in the name of Christ to worship God to pray unto him and to praise him to exhort comfort and build up one another and to rejoyce in the fellowship one of another

yeare 1666. as appeareth in the last verse of the thirteenth chapter where the very period and finall determination of Antichrist is layd down in which yeare the destruction denounced against him shall fall on him Quest Shall there not be a restoration of the truth till the destruction of Antichrist Answ The truth hath begun to appeare already and still shall more and more but the full restauration thereof shall not bee till all the darknesse of Antichrist bee removed and his destruction accomplished Revel 11.11 Quest Is not the truth fully knowne published preached and professed now at this time in those Kingdomes where Antichrists power is abolished Answ No certainly much darknesse still remaines even amongst them and great confusion which shall at that time be more fully discovered and the truth made knowne and errors and Heresies abolished by such whom the Lord shall raise up in and about that time and for that end Quest Are we not to expect the truth to bee more fully discovered then now it is before the destruction of Antichrist Answ Yes assuredly for it is the light of the truth maintained by the Saints which shall in a speciall manner abolish Antichrists darknesse and also shall be the greatest meanes of his destruction for the people of God shall by the light of the truth more fully discover his abominations and cause the Princes of the earth to see how grossely they have been deluded and abused by him and so they shall with one consent set themselves against this great enemy of Christ to roote him out and to execute the judgement that the Lord hath denounced against him Revel 19.11 12 13 14 15. Rev. 17.16 Quest Shall the Church of God enjoy any great prosperity after the destruction of Antichrist Answ Yes certainly for then they shall be freed from their great and violent oppressions and have free liberty to professe and practise the whole will of God and enjoy the communion and fellowship one of another their inward graces shall be great and excellent their love shall abound one towards another continually rejoycing in the hope of that crowne of glory which is layd up for them in heaven 4 Esdras 11.46 and chap. 12.34 2 Tim. 4.8 Revel 19.1.2 3 4 5 6 7. Quest Shall the whole Nation of the Jewes be converted and receive the Gospell of Christ before the comming of the Lord to judgement Answ We hope many of them shall be called before that day But that the whole Nation shall be called and receive the Gospell we have no ground in Scripture so to thinke Quest But the Apostle in the eleventh chapter to the Romans seemes to intend to prove that they shall all be called before the day of the Lord Answ Whosoever do so collect and gather from that chapter doe misunderstand and misinterpret the Apostle for his purpose is not to prove that all the Nation of the Jewes shall be called to Christ in the latter end of the world but to shew unto the Gentiles lest they should wax proud against the Jewes that God had a people amongst the Jewes and that hee had not cast them all away but that hee had a remnant according to the election of Grace even amongst Abrahams naturall seed whom he would call when it pleased him many were called in Pauls time and no doubt but many since that time and we hope that yet there are many of them that belong to the Lord which shall be called when the darknesse of Antichrist is expelled and the light of the truth appeareth and shineth by the Church but wee are not to expect any such generall calling of them Quest Doth not the Apostle say in the 26th verse of that thapter that all Israel shall be saved Is not here therefore a sure ground to build upon for their conversion to Christ Ans The Apostle there meanes by all Israell all the elect of God both Jews and Gentiles and not onely the Nation of the Jewes as may be proved by these Reasons First because the Apostle saith in the twenty fift verse that in part blindnesse or hardnesse is happened unto Israell untill the fulnesse of the Gentils be come in which is even till the comming of the Lord to Judgement as appeareth Luke 21.24 Therefore by all Israell is not meant the Jewes onely but all the elect of the Jewes and of the Gentiles Secondly because the Promise of the deliverer in the Testimony of Esay alleadged by the Apostle was made to the Elect Gentiles as well as to the Elect Jewes and the elect Gentiles reape the same benefit by the Deliverer And this promise also pertaines to none but to the Elect of the Jewes and Gentiles not to all the carnall Jewes but onely to the elect the Spirituall seed of Abraham consisting both of Jewes and Gentiles For the test doe not reap this benefit namely to have their ungodlinesse turned away Esay 59.20 Rom. 9.6.7.8 Rom. 2.28.29 Gal. 3.29 Thirdly by all Israell cannot bee meant that in the latter dayes all the Nation of the Jewes shall bee converted Because this great calling which is pretended to be is not once mentioned in the booke of the Revelation and therefore not shewed unto Iohn and yet he was taken up and was promised to have shewne unto him the things which should be hereafter Revelation 4.1 But this great conversion of the Jewes he saw not and yet hee saw all things to the setting up of the new Jerusalem in everlasting glory and beauty therefore certainly we are not to expect any such matter neither in this place doth the holy Ghost intend any such thing Quest But it may seeme that this promise is made onely to the Iewes because is made to Jacob and they only are the posterity and seed of Jacob Answ It is not made only to the naturall Jewes for we are to know that when any such speciall promise is made in Scripture of turning away ungodlinesse and taking away of sins from Israel or Iacob that promise is made and intended as well to the Elect Gentiles as to the Elect Jewes even to all Abrahams spirituall seed which are called by those names of Israel and Iacob who although they be Gentiles in the flesh yet indeed are Jewes in Spirit and truth Rom. 2.29 And Abrahams seed and Heires according to the promise Gal. 3.29 Quest What then may be the mistery that the Apostle speakes of in the 25 verse of that eleventh chapter to the Romans Answ The mistery is Gods giving some up to hardnesse and blindnesse and his giving Grace unto others at the consideration whereof the Apostle breakes forth into admiration in the 33 verse saying O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out Rom. 11.33.34.35.36 Quest But all the Prophets have prophesied of the returne of Israel and of his restouration to such an excellent estate of glory and happinesse and freedome