Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	faith_n	justification_n	justify_v	7,231	5	9.1878	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48733	A sermon preached at the funeral of Mrs. Mary Alston, wife to Joseph Alston Esq; who dyed, Jan. 25. and was interred at Chelsey, Feb. 7. 1670. By Adam Littleton, D.D. Recton of Chelsey.	Littleton, Adam, 1627-1694.	1671 (1671)	Wing L2569; ESTC R221361	13,363	38

by continual intercessions to plead and make good his merits but did also send down the Spirit to keep residence here below to perform the office of an Advocate and a Comforter and made him the great Trustee to issue out the revenues of his grace Besides all things in him are gathered into one and there is that strict Vnion and intimate Communion betwixt Christ the Head of the Church and all the lively Members of that his mystical Body all true Believers that they and he are one as the Father and he are one For he having espoused our nature as well as our quarrel the vertue of that hypostatical Vnion extends it self over all even to the very dust of the Faithful that sleep in their graves From this close Vnion it follows that all Believers as being parts of himself are animated and acted by his Spirit effectually in several operations such as these are in the matter of Justification we are now upon that by this Spirit of his the merits of Christ are applied to us and that our Consciences are sprinkled with his blood from dead works to the purging away of guilt that the pardon of our sins is assured and sealed to us that Faith is wrought in our hearts and that a sufficience of Grace is given in to us whereby we are inabled to every good work And all this according to the Covenant by which he was to purchase not pardon only but grace also for us whereby we might be as discharged from the guilt so released from the slavery and dominion of sin if we rightly imploy our victorious Faith which is the condition or if you will taking the word in a moral sense the Instrument of Justification And this we are now to speak of and then conclude with the extent of it that 't is all Believers are justified and they are justified from all things And these two will make up our applicatory part the condition for our Instruction and Exhortation and the extent for a word of Comfort Seeing then that Justification is so great an advantage and priviledge such a benefit and blessing as none is to be compared to it as that which sanctifies and sweetens all the injoyments of this life and ascertains Gods favour and glorious hopes to us in the next that which renders all conditions comfortable living or dying whereas without pardon of sins and peace of conscience let a mans outward fortunes be what they will the man is an utter stranger to true happiness whilst he is here and will be abandoned to a sad miserable estate to all eternity hereafter and seeing that this Justfication is not to be had but by Christ alone who took upon him to be our surety and has done and suffered all that was necessary to be done and suffered for us in order to our salvation and has by his merit and satisfaction purchased for us pardon and grace whereby we may be saved and that the merit of his satisfaction can no other way be derived and conveyed to us but by Faith in him a reliance on his merit and an obedience to his Gospel and that without our faith Christ and his Gospel and Salvation it self can stand us in no stead and all the merits of his obedience and the benefits of his Passion and the dispensations of his Grace will signifie nothing be of none effect to us if we remain still in our unbelief let us be exhorted to have Faith in the holy Jesus to have recourse to him as to our Mediator and Advocate to imbrace him upon his own terms to nail our sins to his Cross to cast our burden upon him who is able to save to the utmost all that put their trust in him to shelter our selves in the clefts of that Rock the wounds of our dear Saviour and renouncing all other hopes with a holy confidence roll our selves upon his satisfaction that we may be cloathed with the robes of his Righteousness and be found in him to the atoning of our offended God to the pacifying and purifying of our troubled and guilty consciences and to the escaping of indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish and everlasting burnings which attend those that through unbelief and impenitence live and die in their sins But because Faith is a word of large and doubtful meaning in holy Writ let me also for your better instruction that no one may mistake himself lay before you some of the most ordinary acceptions of the word which yet do not come home to our purpose nor amount to a justifying Faith Sometimes Faith is taken for an acknowledgment of Divine Truths revealed in Gods Word And this though it be enough to denominate one Orthodox in his opinions and sound in his judgment yet if it be but Notional and hath no practical influence upon the heart and life is no right sound Faith by which a man shall be justified Otherwhere it denotes a firm perswasion of mind that the thing he is taking in hand is lawful and fit to be done In which sense the Apostles rule is to be understood that whatsoever is not of faith is sin And this is very far from being a Faith that will justifie one before God or men For some out of an erroneous conscience which sure is no good conscence may having a zeal not according to knowledge as often has been done think those things lawful which are quite contrary such as our Saviour speaks of that will kill you and think they do God good service in so doing And others when they have not a mind to do things that in their own nature are lawful and the command of a just Authority makes necessary to be done may pretend dissatisfaction of conscience for a colour of their disobedience Another common acception to mention no more of Faith is to take it for a strong assurance of Gods peculiar love and favour to them in pardoning their sins and designing them for salvation When perhaps they have no other reason for their so believing but that they are willing to believe so and have taken pains with themselves to perswade themselves into such a belief and make themselves believe they do believe and this may be as it too too often proves a dangerous mistake by putting the name of Faith upon a fond over-weening conceit and a rash unreasonable presumption Wherefore that thy Faith may not deceive thee take along with thee these three or four marks of tryal to examine it by whether it be a right well-grounded Faith or no. 1. A true Faith imbraces Christ in all the capacities of his mediatiorial office as King Priest and Prophet 2. It takes in the whole compass of Gospel-dispensations commands and threats as well as promises Sacraments and all other Ordinances alike 3. It ingages the whole man the assent of the understanding the compliance of the will the regularity of the affections and the composure of the outward behaviour 4. It always is