Selected quad for the lemma: head_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A64687
|
Twenty sermons preached at Oxford before His Majesty, and elsewhere by the most Reverend James Usher ...; Sermons. Selections
|
Ussher, James, 1581-1656.
|
1678
(1678)
|
Wing U227; ESTC R13437
|
263,159
|
200
|
shall continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith It is called the joy of faith because it springs from that principle of rejoycing from that mother-grace that your rejoycing may be the more abundant The preaching of the Word whereby faith is wrought brings abundance of joy That place of St. Peter is remarkable 1 Pet. 1.8 Whom having not seen ye love in whom though now you see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory Yet believing that is yet exercising the acts of faith which we too much neglect If we did exercise these acts every day we should have our Charter of joy renewed every day yet believing ye rejoyce 3. Pray and be thankful praise and thanksgiving are those fruits which fulfil all our joy When thou prayest thou conversest with God thou speakest with him face to face as Moses did He who can pray spiritually and pray hard unto God as Moses face shined when he talked with God so will thy soul thrive praying hard and being thankful There is no greater means than this to get this joy Psal. 33.1 Rejoyce in the Lord O ye righteous for praising is comely for the upright Upon this hangs all our comfort praise always brings rejoycing the one begets the other In Isaiah The comfort there that God's children receive is the changing of rayment Christ preaching the acceptable year of the Lord to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion to give to them beauty for ashes the oyl of joy for mourning the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness Isa. 61.3 The ground of praise is joy one follows the other Observe God will give us the oyl of joy Christ was anointed with this oyl above his fellows Christ hath fulness of joy this oyl doth not come on his head alone but it trickles down unto the lower most hemm of his garment even upon all the lively members of his mystical body I will add in the last place when a man considers the great things which are given to him by God and what an estate we get by Christ. I have forgiveness of sins and Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven Psal. 32.1 Christ's blood is wine and my name is written in the book of life Do not rejoyce saith our Saviour because the Devils are subject unto you but rather rejoyce because your names are written in heaven Luk. 10.20 When I consider that I am not in the black Roll and it is my faith which strengthens me which makes me reckon Christ my chiefest wealth this makes me rejoyce in mine inheritance and in hope of the glory of God When I consider the great reward in the world to come this is a great cause of rejoycing and therefore God's children long for the coming of Christ it is made Tit. 2.13 a mark of those that shall be saved That they long for the appearance of Jesus Christ looking for and hastning unto the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. And in 2 Pet. 3.12 Looking for and hastning unto the coming of the day of God A longing expectation there is in all the creatures after the second coming of Christ They wait saith the Apostle for the manifestation of the Sons of God and presently he adds Not only they but we also that have the first fruits of the Spirit groan and long for the coming of that day Rom. 8.19.23 And therefore the last breath of the Scripture is breathed out in the confirmation of this hope Rev. 22.20 He that testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen even so be it come Lord Jesus There is a sweet Allegory to express this in Cant. ult 14 Make haste my beloved and be like the Hind and like the Roe Come Lord Jesus come quickly and come as the Hind and as the Roe and as a Hart upon the Mountain of spices Make haste and come quickly be swift and do not tarry and in a better place I cannot end FINIS THE SEAL OF SALVATION OR GOD's SPIRIT Witnessing with our Spirits THAT We are the Children of GOD. IN TWO SERMONS Preached at Great S. BARTHOLOMEWS by the most Reverend JAMES USHER late Arch-Bishop of ARMAGH Difficilia pulchra ROM 8.14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God LONDON Printed for Nathaniel Ranew at the King's Arms in S. Paul's Church Yard 1678. THE SEAL OF Salvation ROMANS 8.15 16. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father The same Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God THe Apostle sets down in this Epistle a platform of Christian Doctrine whereupon all persons and Churcheâ— might safely build themselves shewing therein a sure way how those might come to the Lord Jesus Chrisâ— who are to obtain salvation by him which he delivers in three heads shewing 1. First how God will convince the world of sin 2. Secondly he discovereth to them what that righteousness is which without themselves is imputed to them 3. Thirdly he setteth forth that righteousness inherent and created in us by sanctification of the spirit with the effects thereof and Motives and Helps thereunto Answering that threefold work of the spirit in John 16. where Christ promiseth that when the comforter should come he should reprove â—he world of Sin of Righteousness of Judgment First he shews the Comforter shall work a conviction of Sin a making of a man as vile empty and naked as may be not a bare confession of sin only which a man may have and yet go to hell but such a conviction as stops a man's mouth that he hath not a word to speak but sees a sink of sin and abomination in himself such as the Apostle had Rom. 7.18 For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing To attain to this sight and measure of humiliation there must be a work of the spirit First therefore in the first Chapter the Apostle begins with the Gentiles who failing grosly in the duties of the first Table God had given over also to err in the breach of all the Duties of the second Table Then the next Chapter and most of the third he spends on the Jews they bragged of many excellent privileges they had above the Gentiles as to have the Law Circumcision to be leaders of others to have God among them and therefore despised the Gentiles The Apostle reproves them shewing that in condemning the Gentiles they condemn'd themselves they having a greater light of knowledge than the Gentiles which should have led them to the true and sincere practice of what they were instructed in Then he goes on and shews all naturally to be out of the way ver 19. and so concludes them to be under sin that every mouth may be stopped and all the world
wheat yet they remained firm as our Saviour saith of the faith of miracles If ye had faith as much as a grain of mustard-seed ye should say to this Mountain be removed and it would obey you Mar. 11.23 So for common faith which the Apostle calleth so because it is common to all the Elect Tit. 1.4 if thou hast so much faith thou shalt be able to remove Mountains of Corruptions suppose thou hast a trembling hand scarce able to hold yet have the perswasion of the woman in the Gospel If I may but touch him I shall be whole I shall be saved healed if I can but touch him And mark our Saviour The People thronged about him and he saith Who is it that toucheth me A wonder that he when they crowded him should ask such a question but Christ knew that some body touched him beside the touch of the multitude indeed that woman â—ouched him more than the crowd that pressed him as St. Augustine saith Illa mulier quae fimbriam tetegit magis tetegit quà m turba quae pressit it is said in the Text The poor woman came trembling and told him all the truth And he said be of good comfort though thou hast a paralytick and palsie-sick-hand yet the touch is enough Luk. 8.47 the least faith brings as much life as the greatest Object But then what need a man look for a great faith Sol. Yes by all means for though thou hast much comfort by a little weak faith yet the more faith the more comfort and therefore it is to very much purpose to labour after a strong faith Abraham it is said staggered not through unbelief Rom. 4.20 if thou hast a strong faith thou wilt have a strong consolation Thou mayest by thy weak faith be healed of thy disease yet by the weakness of thy faith mayest want much of the strength of thy comfort therefore thou must go from faith to faith Rom. 1.17 but know this that a new-born child 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not yet so strong as a man yet he is as much alive as the strongest and tallest man so that again thus thou art yet but a new-born babe not so strong or so lively as one more grown but yet thou hast all the lineaments of the new creature in thee though thou art not so strong and lively as another may be Object Did not you tell me that it was not every faith that did justifie but a working faith how then doth faith alone justifie Sol. I answer When faith justifieth there is one thing said of another the subject and the predicate are Faith justifies Justification is attributed unto faith Look on the word only whether it doth determine the subject or the predicate doth faith which is alone severed from good works justifie so the proposition is false First that faith which is alone separated from love and the fruits of good works doth not justifie but let the alone be put to the predicate faith justifieth alone i. e. faith is the only vertue in the soul whereby a man is justified that is true As if a man should say the eye alone seeth 't is true if we put it thus the eye severed from the members of the body seeth it is false If the eye were taken out of the head it would neither see alone nor at all but the meaning is this the living eye is the organ whereby a man discerns a visible object so faith though joyn'd with other graces yet takes not other with it for helps of Justification Object But why should God select this vertue among others that are more noble Sol. I say as before God had respect to the low estate of his hand-maid it was reason that God should chuse the lowest and the meanest God selected this poor beggars hand for two reasons First in respect of God I say 1. Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed not to that only which is of the Law but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham who is the father of us all Rom. 4.16 so that here are two strong reasons one in respect of God thaâ— God by so mean a thing as a beggars hand should bring a man to justification and the other in respect of faith it self that it might be by grace for when thou bringest nothing but a bare hand ready to receive a pardon this must needs be of grace If God say thou must love me this were an exchange not a free gift I lay down something and I take up something for it Faith is that naked hand which fills it self with Christ it layeth fast hold on Christ crucified with all his merits As if a man were ready to be drownd there is a cable cast to him to lay hold on and he laying hold on it is drawn safe to the Land but a man when he lays hold on the cable must let go all his other holds which he laid hold on before Thus must a man let go all other holds and lay fast hold on Jesus Christ. Faith hath two faculties 1. It opens its self to let fall all other things And then 2. When it is a naked hand it layeth hold on Christ and then it is filled with Christ when the believer esteems all dross in comparison of Christ it hath all fulness by grace Where is then rejoycing and boasting Rom. 3.27 it is excluded by what Law of works nay but by the Law of faith And then chap. 4.2 For if Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory but not before God faith taketh away all boasting Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord. Therefore it is of faith that it might be of grace This is the reason in respect of God 2. In respect of our selves To the end the promise might be sure to the seed what is the reason why people doubt and think nothing sure it is because they come not with a naked hand I must have such a measure of humiliation of patience all to bring somewhat with us whereas if we look on these things we shall never be heard If the bare acceptation of Christ with a trembling hand will not make thee sure thou understandest not the excellency of that very treasure whereof thou art possessed what canst thou have more than the bare receiving of such a gift by faith The reason why we are not more sure is because we come not with a naked hand By the way there are many means some à priori others à posteriori 1. For the first they are those things by which faith is wrought though they are not so evident yet they are most sure when I consider God calls me in my blood having nothing in me and will be friends with me bids me take his Son and I do not bids me take his Kingdom and glory with him and I refuse it though this be a matter not