Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	day_n	heart_n	people_n	10,406	5	4.5799	4	false

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01028	A letter first written and sent by Io. Forbes, pastour of the English Church at Middelburgh vnto certen of the companie of marchands adventurers at Stoade, at their earnest desire, for resolving this question: how a Christian man may discerne the testimonie of Gods spirit, from the testimonie of his owne spirit, in witnessing his adoption. And now againe renewed and enlarged by the authour, at the desire of divers good Christians, for the comfort of their troubled co[n]sciences, and published by those of his flocke, to whom he did dedicate it for the publike vse of the Church.	Forbes, John, 1568?-1634.	1616 (1616)	STC 11131; ESTC S118027	27,622	94

to teach him that that testimonie was not the testimonie of his owne heart but by the spirit of God did tell him that flesh and bloud had not reveyled that to him but his Father that is in heaven This I speake not to make men carelesse in trying whether they have the spirit or no but to comfort weake Christians who although they have the livelie effectes of the spirit yet have not come so farre as to bee able to discerne them to be from the spirit as sometimes they will bee taught to vnderstande and can not tell how at the first and to repent and can not tell how and to reioyce and can not tell how and to love God and his Saints and can not tell how and to beleeve and cannot tell how which all notwithstanding are the proper workes of the spirit Neither speake I this to shunne the answering of your question touching the discerning of the spirites testimonie which I pray the Lord to teach vs all seeing there can indeed no solide ioy possesse our mindes till we feele the spirit of Adoption sealing vp the certaintie of our electioÌ„ in our harts for if we bee sonnes as saieth the Apostle the Lord hath sent forth the spirit of his sonne in our heartes which crieth Abba Father and therefore if any maÌ„ hath not the spirit of Christ the same is not his Seeing then it is even by the spirit which he hath giveÌ„ vs that we know our selves to bee the sonnes of God and that God as our Father abydeth in vs as saieth Iohn It is a most necessarie studie and most commendable in a Christian to trie if he hath the spirit Now therefore to come to your question I will speake of it in all sobrietie accordinge to that measure of faith which the Lord hath given me First in generall it shall not bee amisse to know what is the Testimonie of the spirit Secondly after what maner the spirit doth give testimonie And lastly we shall cleerlie see how to discerne it from the testimonie of our owne spirit In generall the whole word of God is the testimonie of the spirit For whatsoever is therein contayned the spirit doeth witnes it and nothing els doeth the spirit witnes but that which is contayned in the word therefore is the word of God called his Testimon The testimonie of the Lord is sure And againe God established a Testimonie in Iacob And oft times in the 119. Psalme the Lords wordes are called his Testimonies because everie sentence of the word is a testimonie of Gods will Therefore is it that the Prophet commands vs to goe to the Lawe and to the Testimonie For nothing can we know of Gods minde towards vs except we hearken what the spirit speakes in his worde and therefore Christ willeth vs to search the Scriptures because they witnes of him So whatsoever the worde doeth perswade our hearts touching GOD and his love in Christ that is the Testimonie of the spirit and therfore when hearing the worde of God our hearts receyves anie assurance or perswasion of redemption remission of sinnes c. that same is and must be the spirits testimonie As for example wheÌ„ by the word a man is made to knowe Christ to be the Lord the Redeemer c. doubtlesse that is a testimonie of Gods spirit by the word witnessing to the heart that trueth and causing the heart to beleve it But heere wee must carefully take heede that our hearts bee not deceyved touching that which you most disire to know that is touching our Adoption by mistaking the spirits testimonie For eschewing this danger we have to vnderstande that the spirit by the worde perswades two maner of wayes to wit generallie and speciallie generallie when that which is reveyled out of the worde is generally beleeved as Gods truth speciallie when it is speciallie beleeved The generall is no warrant of adoptioÌ„ For in that sort the very Divells beleeve and tremble saieth Iames a reprobate may beleeve generally all to be true which is in the word of God and yet never have anie testimonie of the spirit of his particular adoption hee may beleeve that Christ is a Saviour of sinners and yet not beleeve that hee is a Saviour vnto him he may beleeve that God in Christ will forgive sinners and yet no wayes have assurance of the remission of his owne sinnes yea hee may bee a Preacher and be witnes of all the promises of God in Christ to others yet have no parte in them him selfe Therefore leaving this generall testimonie of the spirit I come to the speciall testimonie which wee must discerne before our Adoption bee sealed to vs. And in discerning this there is also great wisedome required for therein also may a man be deceyved For there is some sort of speciall testificatioÌ„ that witnesseth not adoption For vnderstanding hereof we must consider that the spirits testimonie in speciall maner is of two sortes The first is when hee witnesses and reveiles grace particularlie to a man but imprints not the thing reveiled in the heart neither seales it in his soule The second is when not onely he reveyles and witnesses the promises in speciall manner to a man but also writeth them in his heart and seales them in his soule Now to make this more plaine we must consider what are the wordes of Gods covenant in Christ with the elect After these dayes saieth the Lord I will put my Lawes in their minde and in their heart I will write them If we waye these wordes aright we shall see that which I have spoken cleere GOD in giving his Lawe spake to his people and by his spirit witnessed his will to them but this word which was spoken was not written in their hearts but in tables of stone therfore the Iewes did not abyde in that covenant The peculiar promise of God to the elect in Christ is that he shall write his wordes in their hearts When theÌ„ the Lords spirit witnesseth in witnessing writes the thing witnessed in the heart it is an assurance of Gods effectuall speaking but when hee witnesses to the heart yet writes not that testimonie in the heart it is no testimonie of adoption To make this plaine it is certaine there can be no true faith in the heart where the worde of GOD abydeth not Christ shewes this in the fift chap. of Iohn speakinge to the Iewes His worde sayeth hee have ye not abyding in you because yee beleeve not in him whom he hath sent declaring that the abyding of the worde in man and beleeving doe still accoÌ„panie one the other And if we will consider his speech in the sixt chap. of Iohn wee shall see that the cause why his worde did not abyde in them was because they were not taught of God that is they had not hard nor learned of the Father according to his promise I will put my lawes in their

not only an evideÌ„ce that we have the spirit but also a witnes of our Adoption making manifest vnto vs that the spirit hath wrought in vs that worke of libertie whereof we have alreadie spoken Touching the first it is manifest in that without the spirit we can not pray vnto God as testifieth the Apostle to the Romans saying The spirit also helpeth our infirmities for wee knowe not what to pray as we cought but the spirit it self maketh request for vs with sighes that can not be expressed Conforme to this also doth the same Apostle say in that same place Wee also who have the first fruites of the spirit even wee doe sigh in our selves waitinge for the Adoption And this is cleerly confirmed by the words of the Prophet Zacharie In that day sayeth the Lord I will poure vpon the house of David and vpon the inhabitanes of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and of compassion and they shall looke vpon me whoÌ„ they have pearched and they shall lament for him c. The veritie of this point may be shewed by the nature of prayer in which first it is required that it be made vnto God Secondly that it bee made in the Name of Christ Thirdly that it be made accordinge to the will of God Concerning the first it cannot be without the spirit because we have no entrance nor accesse to God in Christ but by the spirit This is manifest by the Apostle saying For through him wee both have accesse to tbe Father by one spirit Secondly we can not pray in the Name of Christ except wee acknowledge God his Father and in him our Father which we can never doe except we be taught by the spirit For as saieth the Apostle The spirit beareth witnesse with our spirit that we are the sonnes of God Thirdly no prayer can bee made accordinge to the will of God but by the spirit because None knoweth the mynde of God but the spirit of GOD. According to which the same Apostle sayeth That he that searceth the heartes knoweth what is the meaning of the spirit For hee maketh intercession for the Saincts according to the will of God By all these it is plaine that none can pray which have not the spirit For the babling of hypocrits is no prayer seeing it proceedes not from the spirit And this is to be vnderstoode of all manner of prayer For all manner of prayer be it confession petition supplication or giving of thankes must still be by the spirit According to the saying of the Apostle And pray alway in all maner of prayer and supplication in the spirit Moreover this voyce of the spirit is the witnesse of our adoption and of the worke of our freedome in Christ Which is evident by the Apostle First in that hee sayeth That by this spirit we crye Abba Father And the same Apostle to witnesse the same trueth sayeth in another place Because yee are sonnes God hath sent foorth the spirit of his sonne into your heartes crying Abba Father Which crie of the spirit can not bee in vs vntill first we be the sonnes of God seeing this crye contayneth in it a plaine profession of our Adoption while the spirit in vs doth call vpoÌ„ God as our Father and maketh vs call vpon him as our Father Secondly this is manifest by the description which the Apostle setteth downe of the spirit whereby we crye Abba Father That it is not the spirit of bondage vnto feare but the spirit of adoption Which by the contrarie may be vnderstood to comprehend freedome and libertie According to the saying of of the Apostle Where the spirit of the Lord is there is libertie For they who live in darknesse and in the bandes of iniquitie not yet made partakers of the ioyfull libertie of the sonnes of God can never with boldnes approch to the throne of grace to call vpon GOD as their Father Heerevpon it is that the Scriptures absolutely conclude That whosoever shall call vpon the Name of the Lord shall be saved Because no man can call vpoÌ„ God vntill hee beleeve that God is his God and he his sonne in Christ according to the saying of the Apostle How shall they call vpon him in whom they have not beleeved This sheweth plainlie that the spirites crie or our callinge vpon God by the spirit as out Father is a sure testimonie of our Adoption and seale of our effectuall calling Therefore vnder the calling vpon the Name of the Lord is oft set downe the true and infallible description of Gods children as namelie to the Corinthians Vnto the Church of GOD which is at Corinth with all that call vpon the Name of the Lord IESVS Christ in every place And the same Apostle sheweth that the foundation of God which remayneth sure that is the election of God hath this seale Let every one that calleth vpon the Name of the Lord depart from iniquitie Declaring plainlie that to call vpon the Name of the Lord is as much as to be one of Gods elect children which in that same place is made manifest by this other sentence Follow after righteousnes faith love and peace with them that call vpon the Name of the Lord with pure hearts Thus wee are to take our calling or cryinge on the Name of the Lorde with boldnes in that confidence and assruance which faith bringeth for a sure testimonie of the spirit of Adoption possessing our heartes and so of our Adoption The other voyce of the spirit to wit when the spirit speaketh from God to vs is likewise a most solide firme and infallible testimonie of our Adoption And this sorte of voyce is that whereof the Prophet speaketh And thine eare shall heare the voyce of one behinde thee saying This is the way c. Of the same doeth the Lord speake in another place saying I will allure hir and bring hir in the wildernes and speake kindly vnto hir Which places are not onely to bee referred to the Lords speaking to his Church in the externall ministerie of his word but are speciallie to be vnderstoode of the inwarde working of God in the heart by his spirit Of which sorte of voyce David speaketh when hee sayeth to the Lord Let mee heare ioye and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may reioyce And this sorte of voyce is three folde for it consisteth eyther in Gods teaching or in his confirminge of that which he teacheth or then in his conforting of his children in their afflictions Of the first that is his teaching voyce wee have spoken before For God by his spirit speakes to vs when inwardlie he openeth our heartes and maketh vs heare his word of grace and to vnderstande it to receyve it Of this worke Christ speaketh when hee sayeth But the Comforter which is the holy spirit whom the Father will sende in my Name hee shall teach

the voyce of my spirit now beleving and bearing witnes to me of that which first the spirit of God did witnes to it Secondlie after we have beleeved wee may also discerne the testimonie of Gods spirit from the testimonie of our owne spirit by a plaine contrarie order For in the former the spirites testimonie did goe before the testimonie of our spirit but heere it followeth after it and is the confirmation of it So that when after wee have beleeved the spirit speakinge the word vnto vs and after that beleeving wee have spoken with our owne spirit if then wee heare a new voyce coÌ„firming that which we beleeved and which our spirit did speake that coÌ„firming sealing and stablishing voyce is the testimonie of Gods spirit Thus wee must learne to discerne betwixt our beleeving and the confirmation of our belief and so shal wee know the testimonie of Gods spirit from the testimonie of our owne spirit Therefore still the holie Scriptures of God distinguish betwixt the worke of God in making vs receyve the testimonie of his spirit and his worke in confirming in vs that testimonie nowe receyved And also teacheth vs to knowe the testimonie of our own spirit which commeth in betwixt these two to bee different from them both Accordinge to this working of God the Saincts pray Stablish O God that which thou hast wrought in vs. To speake more plainly of this point there is a three folde voyce in the heart that hath the testimonie of Iesus confirmed in it The first is the voyce of God by his spirit in the worde speaking vnto our hearts and perswading them to beleeve that the promise belongeth vnto vs. The second voyce is the voyce of our hearts receyving the word wherby it speaketh that which the spirit hath perswaded and this in effect is nothing but the very faith of the heart now actually working in vs. Whereas the first was the worke of the spirit working this faith in vs so that in this first act we are patients in the other we are agentes in the first we are spoken too by the spirit of God in the seconde our owne heartes speaketh in vs. The third voice is the voyce of Gods spirit following the voyce of our hearts ratifying it and this is nothing els but the confirmation of our faith So wee may see that the Lord performeth twoo workes in vs for our comfort the first is the working of faith beliefe the other is the confirmation of the faith which he him selfe did work But before his last work our hearts having faith wrought in them doe worke by it or wee with our hearts worke and this is nothing but beleeving with the heart or the hearts beleevinge Wherevpon followeth the sealing of vs in that which it beleeveth that is in the testimonie which the beleeving heart giveth of him in whom it is Thirdlie we discerne this testimonie of the spirit in our trouble when we find any coÌ„fort or peace wrought in our hearts when they are troubled or anie ioye vpon the assurance of Gods love If wee finde a quiet calmnesse of minde with patience meeknes and reioycing in tribulation vpon anie sight or knowledge of our Adoption all these are the vndoubted testimonies of the spirit who shedding abroad the love of God in our hearts maketh vs to reioyce in affliction as the Apost speaketh of the Hebrues and ye suffered with gladnes the spoyling of your goods knowing in your selves that yee have in heaven a better and an enduring substance And touching the Apostles it is saide They departed reioycing that they were compted worthie to suffer for his Name That this ioy is the work of the spirit vpon the testimonie of Gods love is manifest by the Apost to the Romans where shewing the cause why we reioyce in afflictions sayth Because of the love of God which is shed abroad in our heartes by the holy spirit which is given vs. According to this grounde it is that the Saints are brought in wayting what God will speake to them in trouble as namely in the Psalme 85. vers 8. I will hearken what the Lord will say concerning mee for hee shall speake peace vnto his people and to his saints And the Prophet Habacuk in like manner is brought in saying thus I will stande vpon my watch and set mee vpon the Towre and will looke and see what hee will say vnto mee Thus wheÌ„ God speaketh peace to the Saincts in affliction and quieteth their thoughtes and maketh them heare ioye and gladnes that is the testimonie of the spirit of the Lord who is our onely Comforter For as sayeth the Prophet David My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart And therefore Moses prayeth O satisfie vs with thy mercie so shall wee reioyce and be glad all our dayes comfort vs againe c. We may hold it for a most certaine trueth that our patient enduring of grievous trialls ioyfully the constant peace of God in our hearts in the tyme when wee endure the enimitie of the world the coÌ„solations wherewith we are comforted in all our afflictions are vndoubted testimonies of our Adoption proceeding all from Gods spirit But all this is most cleerlie discerned when the testimonie of Gods spirit and the testimonie of our spirit are seperate the one froÌ„ the other when they are found to speake one against the other and to give two contrarie testimonies For while these two goe together and are not severed or disagreeing it is oft tymes hard to discerne the one from the other But if we can finde them seperate so that the one faile vs and the other vphold vs then may they cleerly bee discerned And this commeth to passe eyther when God vpon the carnall presumption of our hearts suffereth vs to fall in some dangerous triall or then when God him selfe seemeth to become our enemie so that the heart hath to wrestle with GOD him selfe vnder the sense of his wrath all former feeling of his mercie then ceasing Of the first wee have example in Peter whose heart saide vnto him that no danger could make him forsake Christ the Lorde to make him know that this was not the testimonie of Gods spirit but a carnall confidence of his owne heart suffered him to be tried and in the triall to fall and so to finde it was but his owne carnall heart that did beare witnes to him God oft tymes for this cause tryeth his owne children to make them discerne betwixt the confidence and assurance which their owne hearts giveth them and that confidence and comfort which the spirit of God worketh in them that they may not trust in them selves or in their owne hearts but in the living God This the Apostle witnesseth to the Corinthians saying He maekth vs to receyve the sentence of death in our selves because we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead Of the second wee

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