Selected quad for the lemma: nation_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nation_n	abraham_n	believe_v	faith_n	1,935	5	6.1115	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16531	The vnbeliefe of St. Thomas the Apostle laid open for the comfort of all that desire to belieue. Whereunto is added a comfortable treatise for all that are afflicted in soule or body. The first armeth vs against despaire in the houre of death; the second against impatience vnder the crosse. By Nicholas Bound, Doctor in Diuinitie.	Bownd, Nicholas, d. 1613.; Bownd, Nicholas, d. 1613. Treatise ful of consolation. aut	1628 (1628)	STC 3442; ESTC S113890	68,060	212

laden and I will ease you This then we see is no new thing for men not to beleeue sundry parts of Gods word brought vnto thē by the ministerie of diuers of his faithful seruants by reason of the great vnbeleefe and hardnes of heart that is in them whereby it commeth to passe that their owne vnderstanding doth more preuaile with them to distrust then the testimonie of many to beleeue How then had we neede to find out this vnbeleefe in our selues which when we haue done we are not to iudge too hardly of our selues seeing that it is so common but onely lament bewaile it seeke vnto Christ to be holpen of it who is the author and finisher of our faith ●●● 12.2 and say with the Apostles ●●● 17.5 Lord increase our faith and with the man in the Gospel ●●● 9.24 Lord I beleue helpe my vnbeleefe And if there be such great streams of vnbeleefe in Gods children till they be holpen of it what a bottomlesse sea thinke you is there of it in the wicked whereby it commeth to passe that they are filled with all atheisme and prophannes casting the word of God behinde their backs so that let neuer so many learned and godly men witnesse the truth vnto them for their amendment they will beleeue no more then they haue determined before hand with thēselues Let vs pray to God for them that they may haue better mindes euen desirous to beleeue and then shall they be holpen in time as the Apostle S. Thomas was And for our selues let vs labour to haue teachable hearts that we may reuerence giue credit vnto them who in the mysterie of our saluation know more then we doe and haue in the matter of faith a great deale more experience then we our selues That so it may come to passe of what minde so euer we haue beene before that when Gods faithfull seruants whome we should esteeme and trust they shall tell vs so and so whether for Gods iudgements or for his promises or for the direction of our liues we may beleeue and obey them Then shall we come to faith and be confirmed in it ●●● 1● 17 for he that regardeth instruction is in the way of life And if in other matters we thinke it reasonable that we should beleeue those that haue more knowledge thē our selues yea euen cleane contrarie to that that we thought before as for the matter of our health we beleeue many skilfull Physitians for the state of our bodies and many expert lawyers for the state of our lands and goods why should we not then in matters of diuinitie and for the state of our soules giue more credit to many skilfull Diuines then to our selues Especially when as the generall rule holdeth as well in that as in any other science that euery skilfull man is to be credited in his owne arte and facultie our reason is more corrupt in this then in any other thing and therefore there is more cause that we should beleeue others then our selues Therefore as in other matters when we are doubtfull we conferre with them that haue more skill and knowledge and giue credit vnto thē contrarie to our owne thoughts and we are readie to relie vpon them rather then vpon our selues So let vs doe in matters of faith and let vs not offer Gods seruants and our selues this great wrong that we wil beleeue all men in other things sauing then in this It is too much that we haue done it so often alreadie let vs not continue in it that we should come to the Church and heare Gods word preached and goe away not beleeuing it and come againe the next day and then depart away as full of vnbeleefe as before and thus from day to day so still be of this mind that whatsoeuer men say we will beleeue none but our selues thinking that we haue reason as well as they and therefore vnles we can conceiue it by reason we will not admit it whatsoeuer they say For faith is aboue reason therfore we must beleeue the seruants of God in things whereof we can conceiue no reason nay reason is against faith and there is nothing in vs more to hinder vs from beleeuing then to harken to our owne reason ●or 2.14 For the naturall man by his best reason perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnes vnto him neither can he know them by his owne wit because they are spiritually discerned that is by a supernaturall inlightning of the sprit of God So that matters of faith we can not only not by reason comprehend thē but they seeme foolishnes vnto all thē that will no further giue credit vnto things then they be demonstrated by reason which made the Apostles when the women came from the sepulchre told them that Christ was risen not onely not to beleeue them but that their words seemed vnto thē as a fained thing Luk. 24.11 and a meere fable that had no truth in it and therefore Christ saith in the Gospel Math. 16. If any man will follow me let him forsake himselfe that is his owne reason most of all that so he may beleeue others contrary vnto it And this is that which is so highly commended by the spirit of God in our father Abraham Rom. 4.1 that he aboue all hope that reason could affoard him beleeued vnder hope that he should be the father of many nations for he considered not his owne bodie which was now dead that is void of strength and vnmeete to get children beeing almost an hundred yeares old neither the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe neither did he doubt of the promise of God through vnbeleefe but was strengthned in faith and gaue glorie to God beeing fully assured that he that had promised it was able to doe it where we see that renouncing his owne reason which would haue held him in vnbeleefe he rested vpon the truth and power of God and so beleeued aboue that by reason could be shewed him or he able to conceiue and so must we doe also ●●● 11.3 The Apostle saith that through faith we vnderstand that the world was ordained by the word of God and that the things which we see are not made of things which did appeare that is that this great beautifull frame of the world was made of nothing is a matter not to be comprehended by any reason but onely by faith which made not onely the Epicures but also some of the wisest Philosophers to hold that the world was not eternall for it was vnto them a principle in reason that of nothing ●omes nothing neither can you so multiplie nothing that there should come any thing of it Therefore the Apostle saith that he that will hold ●hat all these things which we see in ●eauen and earth were made of no●hing he must beleeue it aboue all ●eason And who can by any reason con●eiue the truth