Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	believe_v	faith_n	holy_a	13,469	5	5.2049	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36887	Abraham's faith stated and applied a sermon preached February 16, 1695/6 / by Geo. Duncumb ...	Duncumb, George, 1661 or 2-1743.	1697 (1697)	Wing D2609; ESTC R14747	11,585	30

permitted to ride over our Heads a-while and lay trouble upon our Loins yet if we believe verily that he who Orders all Events and brings good out of Evil will cause the very worst to work together for the good of his People a lively Faith will dispose us to pass our time in rest and quietness as also in all our troubles and adversities whensoever they oppress us to put our whole trust and confidence in God's Mercy abiding patiently upon him till he turn again and refresh us as he did David and his Chosen Generation after he had shewed them great troubles Whatever come upon us this Faith will keep us stedfast and unmoveable make us always abound in the work of the Lord nor shall we behave our selves frowardly in his Covenant Our heart will not be turned back neither will our steps go out of his way no not when he has smitten us in the place of Dragous and cover'd us with the shadow of death as the Royal Prophet speaks in Psalm 44.18 19. So that should the Sword be unsheath'd with a seeming Commission to pass through the Land as in Ezek. 14. Since He that stay'd Abraham's hand when the knife was at Isaac's Throat can with the same ease put a stop to the progress of the destroying Angel in a moment every one that has indeed Abraham for his Father will say with Holy Job Though he slay me yet will I put my trust in him or in the A postle's Language I will not cast away my confidence which hath great recompence of reward but will still commit the keeping of my soul to Him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator If then any be apt to torment themselves before the time by formidable apprehensions of threatning Evils they would do well to consider the passage of our Saviour in Mat. 8.25 26. where we read that whilst Christ was in a Ship at Sea with his Disciples there arose a great Tempest which filled the Disciples with so much dread as to make them conclude they must needs be presently swallowed up of the deep whereupon they ran hastily to their Lord as he lay asleep and awoke him by crying out Lord save us we perish and he said unto them why are ye fearful O ye of little of faith then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm Now since Christ who is gone up on High and there invested with Power to save unto the utmost all that call upon him has promised saying Lo I am with you always even to the end of the world If we have Faith to believe it nothing can be wanting to make us live quiet from fear of Evil even though the Earth be moved and though the Hills be carried into the midst of the Sea though the Waters thereof rage and swell and though the Mountains shake at the tempest of the same for the Rivers of the flood thereof shall make glad the City of God the holy place of the Tabernacle of the most Highest If the Kingdoms be moved Christ who is very high exalted doth defend his Church as it were with a Shield Thus have I done my true endeavour to make you throughly sensible what kind of Faith is expected from you shewing plainly how that it consists not only in believing that there is a God and that his Son Jesus Christ was made manifest in the flesh for thus far the Devils themselves went who confessed saying We know thee who thou art even the Holy one of God But a right Faith consists in so firmly and unfeignedly believing the whole Will of God Revealed in the Scripture as to act in all things according to it and that with so much steadiness as never to swerve from the Commandments upon any the most specious pretext never presuming to set aside a known Duty upon the pretence of Necessity or by the plea of Providence but by the Example of Abraham still to do the thing which God Commands and leave the issue and success to Him nothing doubting but that if in all our ways we acknowledge Him by ruling our selves after his Word he will surely bring it to pass effecting what is best for the right hand of the Lord has the pre-eminence and does in all places whatever he pleases To Conclude then Let us not Believe in Word neither in Tongue but in Deed and in Truth Obeying from the Heart the Form of Doctrine delivered to the Saints and walking in the steps of our Father Abraham so shall we receive a Blessing from the Lord and Righteousness from the God of our Salvation even the Lord Jesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be Glory and Honour Thanksgiving and Power now and for ever Amen FINIS Errors of the Press to be Corrected thus PAge 5. l. 2. dele by and l. 19. for has read had p. 6. l. 5. for the r. his p. 7. l. ult del in p. 9. l. 18. r. Agreeable p. 10. l. 16. or 17. del of

present and so may well be called by him as tho' they were should wait the issue and event and therefore he foreseeing certainly at the time when Abraham believed the Promise concerning receiving a Son that he would readily resign him up or frankly surrender him back by making an Oblation of him whenever he should call for him I say this being as perfectly known unto God then as at any time afterwards he might very well make the imputation beforehand And now that God has really an Eye to this very thing in imputing righteousness unto Abraham is very evident from the words immediately foregoing and following my Text So that we have an infallible Interpretation to warrant the Application for in the Two Verses next before the Text we read expresly that Abraham our Father was justified by Works and that particularly when he had offer'd his Son Isaac upon the Altar whereby his Faith was made perfect Whence the Apostle makes this Inference or Conclusion And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness How was the Scripture fulfilled how did it receive its completion By the bare believing the Promise No but by his Expression of Obedience to God's Command in being ready to offer up his only Son The Design of St. James is to prove That Christians are justified by Works and not by Faith only For which purpose he alledges the Example of Abraham the Father of the Faithful affirming that he was therefore justified because he obey'd Ye see then says the Apostle just after the passage cited in my Text how that by Works a man is justified and not by Faith only Which is as much as to say 'T is apparent from the forementioned Example that Obedience to God's Commands as well as Belief of his Promises must concur to the making any person accepted or approved of God So that either the Apostle did not rightly understand the Saying of Moses Either he mistook the meaning and misapplied it which no good Christian can say or else it must be taken as you have heard it now explained namely in conjunction with that after-Act which God saw would be performed in its season in the proper time appointed for it But because it may be objected That St. Paul seems to have been of another mind and in his Relation of it to put a different or rather a clean contrary construction upon it 't is necessary I should attempt a clear solution of this difficulty by shewing their real Concord notwithstanding this appearing contradiction The Apostle of the Uncircumcision having declared in Rom. 3.28 That a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law he proceeds in the Fourth Chapter to illustrate this point at large where at the 3d v. he cites the same passage that St. James does here in my Text and thence argues against the boasted righteousness of the Jews in observing the Mosaick Law especially the discriminating parts of it which they were wont to press as necessary to Justification and shews that as Abraham was justified without them so shall his Seed be after him But in all this there is nothing inconsistent with St. James's assertion for St. Paul does not exclude Works or suppose that Abraham's Faith was not approved by them But he only rejects those Legal deeds which the Jews obtruded and cried up for righteousness such as Circumcision Sacrifices the Mosaick differences of clean and unclean Meats as also their setting up a meer human Righteousness in consisting in outward Acts and the like These he knew would never commend any man to God these therefore he condemns as superseded or set aside by the Gospel And that these are what he means by Works is evident from his declaring to those who laid so much stress upon them as to trust wholly to them that Abraham's righteousness was imputed when uncircumcised and consequently could not be on the account of any such Works as were before specified But rather such as he would have Christians or all that believe in God charged carefully to maintain Tit. 3.8 The Law of Moses being the Law of their Commonwealth whose breaches were triable in their own Courts the manner of the Jews was to esteem themselves righteous in the Eye of their Law as the World does in case of other Political and State Laws when they are not liable to be brought in trouble or indicted upon them before any of their own Tribunals Hereupon measuring themselves only by external Acts which alone are cognizable in human Courts the orderly Livers among them made no more scruple of asserting their Righteousness in the Eye of their Law than any good Subjects do in pleading their innocence as to the Laws of their respective Countries As we find St. Paul himself did in setting off his Jewish Confidences saying That touching the righteousness which is in the Law he was blameless that is had done nothing that could be alledg'd against him before any of their Tribunals Phil. 3.6 So that upon the whole matter when St. Paul affirms that Abraham was justified by Faith and not by Works without all peradventure he means such a lively Faith as did constantly demonstrate its sincerity by suitable affections and actions a Faith working by love and so made acceptable to God through Christ the Promised Seed even without performing perfect unsinning Obedience and without Conforming to the Rites of the Mosaick Precepts Which are the Two things that St. Paul certainly means by Works whereever he explodes them or sets up Faith in opposition to them and particularly in the instance before us Agreeably hereunto it is observable That when the same Apostle speaks of Abraham's Faith in another Epistle where he makes it his business to magnify and extol it exceedingly and so cannot be thought to have omitted what was most praise-worthy he takes no notice of his believing the Promise but makes mention only of his obeying the Command as may be seen in Heb. 11.17 18. By Faith saith he Abraham when he was tried offer'd up Isaac and he that had received the promises offer'd up his only-begotten Son Of whom it was said That in Isaac shall thy seed be called The Story is related more fully in Gen. 22. and the Substance of it is this It seems some time after the Promise to Abraham was fulfilled in that Sarah his Wife conceived and brought forth a Son it pleased God as he had purposed of old to make a further trial of his Faith such as might deserve to be a standing Monument throughout all Ages to the end of the World God said unto him v. 2. Take now thy Son thine only Son Isaac whom thou lovest and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of Abraham did not more easily believe the strange Promise than he readily obey'd this hard Command for instead of murmuring like