Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	hear_v	receive_v	word_n	3,147	5	5.3302	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81950	The right receiving of Christ· Or, An appendix to the worthy communicant, or A treatise shewing the due order of receiving the sacrament. By Jer. Dyke, late minister of Epping in Essex. Which was intended by the said author in his life time to be annexed to this treatise of the sacrament; as appeares in the epistle. Wherein a Christian may know, whether he hath rightly received Christ in the sacrament or no.	Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639.	1645 (1645)	Wing D2959bA; ESTC R229229	52,271	144

good that is in and amongst you ver 5. Well then what is it that you would have us doe Answ Since my care is so great for you since the Gospel is so certaine sublime and perfect therefore I would have you That as you have received Christ so yee would walke on in him c. In which words he exhorteth them unto two things 1. To walke in Christ 2. To be rooted in him To a going on in the profession of Christ and to a stability and stedfastnesse there in Hee first exhorts to a walking in Christ To this he urges them by that they had already done As yee have received Christ Jesus the Lord. As if he had said Yee have begun well yee have received Christ the Lord and yee professe yee have received him now then as yee have begun so goe on and to your receiving of Christ adde your going on and walking in him from which argument of the Apostle we may take this lesson by the way That good beginnings are an engagement Doct. to good proceedings Receiving Christ is an engagement and an obligation to walking in him Psal 4. 9. Those things that yee have both learned and received and heard and seene in me doe Thus you have learned and received therefore doe thus Apoc. 3. 3. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent It is this ground that edges those sharp reproofs Gal. 3. 3. Are yee so foolish Having begun in the Spirit are yee now made perfect by the flesh and Gal. 5. 7. Yee did run well who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth And this is the reason why they that have begun well and yet goe not on shall receive a smarter punishment then such as never made any such beginning at all because they had a greater tye and engagement then others to be godly and religious Their latter end is worse then their beginning 2 Pet. 2. 20. And why so because their beginnings were better then other mens They began to build they began to look towards Christ and Heaven these beginnings engaged them to a further progresse and because such engagement notwithstanding they brake off therefore have they made their account the heavier Let it teach us therefore if once wee have given up our names to Christ to goe on and hold on A giving up the name to Christ and a beginning to professe religion it is a subscribing with the hand to the Lord. Isa 44. 5. It is a saying I am the Lords Now when wee have once said we are the Lords and have subscribed to it set us also have a care to say wee will be the Lords and to stand to and make good our subscription But if once wee have subscribed with our hand and after our subscription be found Revolters God will bring in our own hands against us The entrance upon profession of Christs name is subscription Subscription is an obligation to God An obligation forfeited makes a man liable to the penalty This by the way Before I come to the thing pressed I will take the words in order as they lye and begin first with that ground upō which he presses them to that duty As yee have received Jesus Christ the Lord. In which words he implyes that they had received Christ they professed that they had received him and he takes it for granted as a ground upon which he will work them on further from what these Colossians did learne What is every mans duty to doe that meanes to be a true Christian indeed CHAP. I. It is the duty of every one that will be a Christian to receive Christ A Man is never a Christian indeed till this be done The Lord Jesus Christ is to be received of us God he offers Christ to us he tenders him in the Gospel and as it is Gods mercy to offer him so it is our duty and should be our wisdome to receive him for that is the end of all Gods offers He doth not offer him only to shew that there is a Christ or what kinde of Christ he is hee doth not offer him to be seen and shewed but God offers him to this end that he might be received And therefore when God sends his Ministers to preach Christ and to offer him unto people in their ministery hee speaks of Christ in this case as Paul speaks to the Philippians of Epaphroditus Phil. 2. 29. Receive him with all gladnesse and hold him in reputation And as God offers Christ to be received so he himself also is willing to be received Wee know what the Pharisees quarrell was with him Luke 15. 2. This man receives sinners And it was true hee did so But why did he so Surely to let sinners see how willing hee is that they should receive him His receiving of sinners was but to invite them to the receiving of him Yea the errand he sends his Ministers upon is but to perswade men to receive him Hee seeks to be received Cant. 5. 2. Open unto mee my sister my love c. As if he had said Lo here I am I offer my self unto thee I sue and seek unto thee to be received and entertained Yea hee complains of it and takes it ill when men receive him not John 5. 43. I came in my Fathers Name and yee received me not Now if Christ were not willing and desirous to be received he would not complain of it and take it as an unkindness not to be received Wee ought in their kind to receive godly men John 3. 8. We therefore ought to receive such And if we ought to receive such then much more ought we to receive Christ himself As then wee would prove our selves Vse 1. true Christians indeed so be we forward and ready to receive Christ offered unto us Wee should do in this case as Zacheus did in that Luke 19. 5 6. Zacheus sayes Christ Make haste and come down for to day I must abide at thine house Here was an offer a fair offer of Christ What doth Zacheus do does he demurre and deliberate upon it and take time to think of it no such matter And he made hast sayes the Text and came down and received him joyfully Zacheus presently imbraces the offer receives him hastily and joyfully No sooner should Christ offer himself unto us but with all readines greedines should he be received of us There is a strange perversenesse of spirit in us a strange naturall untowardnesse in us to receive Christ See how Christ speaks Joh. 5. 43. I am come unto you in my Fathers name and yee receive me not if another come in his own name him yee will receive So it is still with us If Satan come with a tentation if a lust come with a motion if a false teacher come with a novelty if any thing come that should not come it is strange to see with what readines and greedines we receive these

we thrive in Christ Thirdly The conscionable and serious use of Gods Ordinances the Word 3. and Sacrament The Word is called Jam. 1. 21. The engraffed or Implanted Word that is the Word which by the Ministry is engraffed in our hearts Now as it is an engraffed so it is an engraffing Word which being rightly received doth engraff implant and roote us into Christ The seede that fell upon the stony ground had no Roote Matth. 13. but contrarily when the seede falles upon good ground it Rootes And when the Word rootes in our hearts it rootes us into Christ for Christ is received in his Word And when the Word rootes Christ rootes and when Christ rootes in us wee roote in him for it is a naturall and reciprocall Radication Two things are required to make a tree or herbe roote Planting and watring The Ministry of the Word is both 1 Cor. 3. Paul may plant and Apollos may water The Ministry of the Word therefore is a planting and a watering They therefore that would roote must seriously use that meanes which must plant and water them And so for the Sacrament of the Supper wee being once rooted by the Word it is an excellent meanes to make us take deeper rooting The barren figtree in the Parable Luk. 13. brought not forth fruit There was some fault not in the branches but in the roote and therefore the dresser would dig and dung it about the roote he would loosen and remove the hard earth from the rootes and lay some mellow moulds about the roote And wee see when such husbandry is used about trees that they roote the better a great deale The right use of the Sacrament is a digging and dunging of the tree roote is a fresh moulding of our rootes and the Sacrament rightly used and received as it ought will make our roote wrap about Christ and sprout and spread into him As therefore wee desire to roote in Christ so attend upon the Word and Sacrament with that due preparation and religious behaviour as God requires Wee shall finde this a sweet fruite of these Ordinances duely used that they will further our rooting in Christ CHAP. XV. How to know whether we bee Rooted in Christ or not IF every true Christian must be rooted in Christ then as wee would know whether wee be true Christians so let us examine our selves whether wee be rooted in Christ or not That may be knowne by those things mentioned before in the reasons of the point They that are rooted in Christ doe grow such as our growth is such is our roote If we grow not in Christ it is a signe wee are not rooted in him They that are rooted beare fruit Trees may roote and yet not alwayes beare fruit Though there can be no fruit unlesse there be a roote yet in naturall trees there may be a roote where there is no fruit But not so here There is none rootes in Christ but he brings forth fruite in Christ The Apostle speakes of bringing forth fruit to God Rom. 7. 4. but he first speakes of being married unto Christ which is equivalent unto rooting So that whosoever is rooted in Christ brings forth fruite unto God By it may be seene who is not and how many are not rooted in Christ By their fruits shall yee know them They bring forth no fruite unto God therefore not rooted in Christ What be the fruits they bring forth The fruits of swearing whoring drunkennesse prophanenesse covetousnesse c. Are these fruits unto God or fruites unto the Devill Doe they that are rooted in Christ bring forth fruits unto Satan Therefore in as much as the fruites that most men bring forth are fruites unto the flesh fruites unto Satan it is a signe that they are rather rooted in the flesh in Satan then in Christ And when men are so easily shaken and moved from the truth it is a signe that they are stony ground that they have no roote in themselves And how little men are partakers of the fatnesse of Christ appeares by the leanenesse and lewdnesse of their lives But besides these it may be discerned by these things First By that Rom. 11. 16. If the 1. roote be holy so are the branches namely the branches that are joyned to that roote Branches then that are rooted into an holy roote are such as the root is All that are rooted in Christ are such as he is There is the same sap in the roote and branches of a tree If a sweet sap in the roote a sweet sap also in the branches They that are rooted in Christ have the same Spirit that is in Christ Philip. 2. 5. Let the same minde be in you which was also in Christ Jesus Christ is an holy roote all that are rooted in him are holy persons Jude 1. Sanctified in Christ Jesus He is not onely an holy but an hallowing Christ Whatsoever touched the flesh of the sinne offering was holy Levit. 6. 27. Whatsoever touched the Altar was holy Exod. 30. 29. Both were types of Christ Now if but the touch of Christ make holy then much more when a man not touches him but is rooted engraffed incorporated into him By this may men try their Rooting in Christ If mens holinesse must be the evidence how many will bee cleane cast Let mens lives speake what holinesse they have I doe not thinke that if men had holinesse they would mocke and scoffe at it Secondly By a Radication in the grace of love and charitie He that is 2. rooted in Christ is rooted in love Ephes 3. 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts When Christ dwells in us wee dwell in him and when wee dwell in him wee are rooted in him And when thus rooted in him see what followes That yee being rooted and grounded in love Then a man may be said to be Rooted in love when out of the sense and apprehension of Gods love to him in Christ his love is againe kindled towards God and his neighbour and so increases in him that it takes daily deeper and deeper roote in him So then a man that rootes in Christ roots in the love of God of Christ of his members The more wee are rooted in Christ the more wee are rooted in the love of God and his Saints and the more that love roots in our hearts And therefore it is that faith and love doe lead hand in hand still in Scripture and that not onely love to God but to his Saints Let mens consciences but search themselves and it is to be feared that they will finde such poore small rootes of love to God and his Saints as will give them just cause to question their being rooted in Christ Thirdly By Spirituall life and Nutrition Hee that is rooted in Christ drawes life from Christ and receives nourishment from him A tree that is rooted in the earth it lives by the sap it drawes out of the earth in which it rootes So the Christian that roots in Christ hee lives in Christ and drawes sap out of Christ that feeds and maintaines spirituall life in him Gal. 2. 20. As a tree lives yet not so much the tree as the roote and the life which the tree lives it lives by the roote in the earth Our life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3. The life of a Christian is in and from Christ Secret it is as the life of a tree is hid in the roote which is under the earth Doth Christ then quicken thee with spirituall life doth he nourish and feede thee with spirituall sap so as all thou doest thou doest by an influence of sap and life from him Then conclude comfortably that thou art rooted in Christ But many are so livelesse so dead and saplesse that it is a senselesse thing to conceive them other then rootlesse Christians FINIS