Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	persecute_v	zeal_n	zealous_a	12	3	9.7637	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88635	A vindication of free-grace: in opposition to this Arminian position, (Naturall men may do such things as whereunto God hath by way of promise annexed grace and acceptation.) / First preached, after asserted at Stephens Coleman-steete [sic] London, by Mr. John Goodvvin. Also an appendix proving the souls enjoying Christ after death, afore the Resurrection, against some errours hereafter specified. Published for the justification of truth by S.L.	Lane, Samuel.	1645 (1645)	Wing L341; Thomason E275_3; ESTC R209881	66,752	86

exprest in verse 7. Let not that man think to receive what man that man whosoever be he ever so able to improve his naturall abilities in asking as long as he askes without faith let not such a one think to receive for 't is to think the Scrpture lyes if then this place quoted will prove that naturall men improving themselves in good earnest in asking shall hav● as you expresly affirmed then it follows as I conceive that a naturall man may by improving his own power be inabled to aske in faith for such an asking onely is sure to receive but if we will take Pauls judgement he affirms Eph. 1.9 That the power by which we beleeve is not our own fully improved but that exceeding greatnesse of power which raised Christ from the dead faith is by grace and not naturall improvement but you will say this is granted that t is wrought by God namely upon naturall improvements to which I reply T is true you exprest that but yet in these two quotations you apply or rather subject as I conceive these promises under the power of naturall men whom you make to have power in themselves to put themselves under these Promises and within the Covenant else they could not be so certain touching Gods performing them to themselves which to prove you directly alleadged them in which places there 's no tittle of any such promise that upon their improvement God will give faith and so they shall be accepted and yet you undertake to prove that they may so performe the condition on their side as reciprocally to make God bound to receive them into his grace thereupon according to his promise Further in reference to that Mat. 7.7 Aske c. but how shall we aske Iohn 15. verse 16. Whatsoever ye doke in my Name the Father will give Acts 4. verse 12. No name under heaven whereby to be saved or no other power Therefore no naturall how ever improved A●sk in my Name not your own but so long as we ask by the strength of our naturall abilities 't is in our own name and power and therefore shall not avail because not in Christs Name Object But may not our naturall power be improved to such height as whereby and whereupon God may be ingaged by virtue of them to accept us in Christs Name Answ No in no wise for then ther 's another name or power besides Christs which can ingage God which would peremptorily contradict the Scripture Again this injunction Aske and it shall be given is chiefly directed to the Disciples for 't was a part of that Sermon Preached to them in speciall as whereby they might the better know how to deal with the Iews as the beginning of it shews chap. 5. verse 1 2. Yea the verse immediately foregoing this under censure was primarily in reference to them Give not that that 's holy Nor cast your Pearls c. They were then such as had things that were holy and pearls yea to give and cast therefore such who not onely had those holy things but had them as Stewards of the Treasures of heaven thereby directing them to whom to give them to which the following promise Aske and have fitly belongs but this liberty befits not a carnall one 't is ill trusting such with such large promises who have no such holy things or pearls to give or cast But to proceed you on a fourth sub-divided head undertook to give out the meaning of that tearm of being dead in trespasses and sins which you shewed was meant of such as were voyd of all knowledge of God not as onely being in a state of condemnation but in that they had no injoyment of the Spirit of God at all nor of its workings which works in some kinde alwayes where-ever the Gospell is preached Dead that is said you Sate in darknesse and shaddow of death destitute of all means of knowledge by hearing the Gospell whereto you added But you are not so dead for as much as you live under Gospell light As touching which to me as yet the main or intire design of the Apostle in that Ephes 2. to verse 9. is to prove that more particularly which he had avouched in chap. 1. verse 19. in generall namely that we beleeve through the working of that very exceeding great power which raised Christ from the dead which he demonstrates from the difficulty of the work of faith not at all shewing by what outward meanes that power wrought or by what instrument but the great difficulty of the work in that 't is no lesse than a quickning from the dead parallell to Christs which nothing but an Almighty power could effect and whether they had the Gospell preached along space to them or the contrary that makes nothing to his purpose for they were quickned by the Gospell as a means used and whether God doth it at first hearing as 3000. are conceived to be at once or whether afterwards still t is done by the same Almighty power alone improving that means for faith comes by hearing and that in one instant whether sooner or later And that they here said to be dead in sins were such as sate in darkenesse c. seems very strange considering the persons so said to be dead We were dead Who I Paul and you Ephesians Whereof concerning Paul what more controdictory than to say Paul had not the light of the Gospell as we have and therefore not so dead concerning whom 't is most certain from his own affirmation of what he did in point of persecution that 't was out of zeal he followed his light therefore he so long continued to hear the Gospell before he persecuted it as according to his utmost power to see whether it were fals or true and after that seeing ground sufficient by his light to justifie yea to require his zealous persecution thereof for a long time he was ingaged in a way of persecution bearing the Office of a Promooter or Informer carrying letters c. to the chief Councells and how pragmaticall he was in that designe might be proved at large from Acts 7. the end and Acts 8. verse 1.2 He must then needs live in the time of the Gospell when he might have had means of grace but rejected it all the time wherein he persecuted the Gospell he could not persecute the Gospell in a time wherein the Gospell was not preached or professed he would not fight with his own shaddow Therefore he sate not in the shaddow of death Yea it seemes easie to prove he had the Gospell a long time before and that upon record which was in great request with him being written in the Prophets which he searched and that in them he read Gospell is clear from Rom. 1.17 For therein In what In the Gospell of Christ is revealed faith c. How proves he this It follows as 't is written What 's written shall testifie to what he asserts and 't is written The