Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	church_n	day_n	remission_n	4,096	5	10.5817	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91898	Panoplia. Universa arma. Hieron. Or, The Christian compleatly armed: being a treatise of the Christians armour, clearly opening every part thereof, both pressing to the putting of it on, and instructing us so to use it, as we may not be soyled in time of temptation. / Delivered by that late reverend, and faithfull minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. Ralph Robinson, pastor of Mary Woolnoth, London, to his congregation there, in several lectures: and now published for the further benefit of the Church of God.	Robinson, Ralph, 1614-1655.	1656 (1656)	Wing R1710; Thomason E1586_2; ESTC R208953	180,905	372

an unlawfull meanes to work a miracle at the direction and command of Satan Thus was Nehemiah assaulted Neh. 6. 10. which was doubtlesse from Satan though not immediatly but by the hand of a pretended friend Thus he tempted Abraham to equivocate and deny his wife in a day of outward trouble vid. Gen. 12 11. 12 13. 2. The day of Church-calamity especially when cruell Heretiques and cunning Seducers are risen up This is one speciall time of Satans assaulting such as are truely godly And indeed this is I suppose the evil day of which the Apostles speaks more particularly in this place We read Act. 20. 29 30. that the Apostle taking his last leave of this Church of Ephesus doth by the Spirit of prophecy give them to understand in his farewell Sermon That when he was gon away there should enter in grievous wolves which should not spare the flock and that there should arise seducers from amongst themselves which should preach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preserve things to draw away disciples after them And now writing to this very Church he doth put them in mind of this evill day Zanchy in his Commentaries upon this Text gives us this Interpretation making this day to be meant especially of that time when God permits Satan quasi solutum grassari et Ecclesiamturbari per tyrannos per haereticos tam occultos hppocritas quàm manifestos And indeed as this day is an evill day so it is a fit day for Satan to assault and make his Onset In such a Day 1 He doth endevour to prevaile with christians to doubt of the truth which they had receivved embraced and many times to cast it off and to run after fables You shall find that in such a day as this Satan hath carried many captive by this temptation vid. Gal. 1. 6. In this evill day there was a great Apostacy from the faith of the Gospel And 2 Tim. 4. 3 4. we have a prophecy of the defection which should be made in such times vid. 2 Cor. 11. 2. 3. 2 He tempts many in such a day to revile speak evill of the truth 2 Pet. 2. 2. Satan is no doubt very busie at such a time both by feare of persecution and by promise of rewards and by hopes of sinfull liberty to draw off men from the simplicity of the Gospel to embrace his delusions We find in our own Church by the lukewarmnesse of most and the defection of many that such a day is a great assaulting day 3 The day of sinfull miscarriage When a child of God slips through infirmity and frailty into some enormity this is a speciall day of temptation to the soul Satan makes many onsets in such a day viz. 1 He assaults the soul by temptations to Conceale and hide the sin commited thus he assaulted David Psal 32. 3. Satan that drew him into the sin assaulted and tempted him afterward not to confesse his sin And David lay a long time in that snare till God sent Nathan to set conscience a speaking 2 He tempts the soul to Excuse the sin at least in part Thus he assaulted our first parents first he drew them into sin then tempts them to make excuse The Serpent saith the woman beguiled me and I did eat Gen. 3. 13. And saith the man The woman which thou gav'st me she gave me of the tree I did eat Gen. 3. 12 And thus was Aaron assaulted by Satan when he had sinned vid. Exod. 32. 22. 23. 24. We may see how irrationall his answer is he would have excused his sin and he doth indeed by all he saith aggravate his sin Thus he tempted Abraham to make an excuse for his lying Gen. 20. 12. She is the daughter of my Father but not the daughter of my Mother c. 3 He tempts them in such a day to call in question their Conversion Regeneration because of their sin David seems to be under this temptation when he had fallen into the sins of murther and adultery Psa 51. 10. Create in me a cleane heart ô God and renew a right spirit within me He was tempted to believe that such sins were inconsistent with conversion therefore he calls for a new Creation 4. He tempts the soul to despaire of remission and pardon and reconciliation with God Under this tempation was the Church in Lam. 3. 42 They prayed and had not present sense of forgivenesse therefore they were ready to question whether God had or would forgive their sin 4. The day of spirituall desertion when God for sin hides the light of his countenance from the soul Such a day is a peculiar day of temptation Satan will rage with violence at such a time 1 He will perswade the soul that God hath utterly cast him off Thus it was with Jonah Cap. 2. 4. And under this temptation was Asaph in such a day Psal 77 7 8. 9. Wil the Lord cast off for ever will he be favourable no more Is his mercy gon for ever hath God forgotten to be gracious hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies And so it was with Heman Psal 88. 14. Lord why castest thou off my soul why hidest thou thy face from me 2 He perswades the soul at such a time to cast off God and to cast off duty and to leave waiting upon God He perswades the soul that all religion is in vaine and to no purpose that he doth but dishonour God in making mention of his name c. 5. The day of extraordinary Enlargement and inward manifestations of God When the soul hath had more then ordinary communion with God then Satan usually tempts And in such a day he assaults the soul 1 Which spiritual security vid. Cant. 5. 1 2. In the former verse we see Christ and the Church feasting together Jesus Christ had shewed her more then ordinary favour now Satan takes occasion of tempting the soul and the next news you heare she is sung into a spirituall slumber I sleepe but my heart waketh 2 With spirituall pride Satan then sets the soul upon applauding it selfe as if for some worth in it self it had enjoyed such great enlargements vid. 2 Cor. 12. 7. The Apostle in that story discovers to us what snare the tempter useth after great Revelations Euge Barnarde 6. After some great temporall Advancement or Deliverance When God had given David many victories and had made his name dreadfull to the nations then doth Satan set upon him 1 Chron. 21. 1. In the former Chapter you may read of his great successes over the Philistims and Moabites and the King of Zobah and the Syrians and Edomites vid. Cap. 18. Cap. 19. over the Moabites and Cap. 20. you have a list of his worthies Then Cap. 21. 1. Satan tempts him c. And the Temptation of such an evill day is To swell up the heart with pride and vain glory so it was with David Satan tempted him to number the people And

notable instance which is upon Record in Exod. 17. 9 10 11. Amalek and Israel were joyned in battel in Rephidim Moses while they were fighting stood upon the Mount praying and the issue was While Moses held up his hands Israel prevailed By this Example God would in a figure have his people learn whence it is that they stand against all Satans encounters not by their own strength but by the holding up of the hands of Moses by the intercession of Jesus Christ in the Holy Mountain His hands are never heavy neither is his heart heavy he needs no supporters to stay up his hands as Moses did he lives for ever to make intercession Information 1. Take notice of the certainty 1. Vse of the salvation of the people of God If any thing could deprive them of their Crown it would be the prevalency of Satans Temptations but he cannot prevail against them finally they must stand when he is fallen And upon this ground it is that the Apostle doth so triumph in the assurance of his own glorification Rom. 8. 38 39. 2. We may from hence also take notice that all the Defeatments and Overthrows and Foyls which any Christian receives from the Devil either immediatly assaulting or assaulting by his Instruments are of and from themselves God hath furnished them with sufficient Furniture to enable them to with-stand and overcome and therefore if they be at any time overtaken and brought into bondage they may blame their own negligence they cannot accuse their God Exhortation Let this put courage and valour 2. Vse and resolution into the hearts of all Christians against the evill day Keep your ground hold fast your Weapons in your hands and though Satan beat you down upon your knees yet up again and continue fighting and you shall certainly overcome at last nothing can hinder you from overcoming but either want of the right Armour or else want of opposing Certain knowledge of victory before hand would make a Coward valiant you have a promise of certain victory and therefore let not your hearts be faint Charles the fifth when he was going to rush with his Horse into the battel he was earnestly requested to retreat lest by his mishap the whole Army should be discouraged but he made this Heroick answer An Emperor was never shot through with a Bullet A Christian may encourage himself against Satan upon far better grounds A Child of God was never shot to death by any Temptation of Satan c. It s a marvellous encouragement in these black dayes of tryall I do not think that there was ever any age of the Church in which Satan had more stratagems and devices to draw the people of God into sin then now he hath He hath his Temptations of profit and his Temptations of losse a Christian cannot go into any Company but some snare or other is laid for him some Devill or other is ready to meet him Well do but resist and you shall overcome The Devill cannot force you he can do you no hurt without your own consent and to consent to an enemy when you are sure of victory is neither wisdom nor manhood The three Children did bravely in the day of their temptation they defied Satan and his Instruments disobeyed the Kings word and yielded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any God except their own God neither the sweet melody of the Instruments of Musick nor the ready complyance of others nor the dreadful terror of the burning Furnace could make them stoop and by their valour they did overcome and they obtained such a perfect victory that they had not so much as a skar upon them The fire had no power over their bodies nor was a hair of their head singed neither were their Coats changed nor the smell of fire had passed on them You may read both the battel and Conquest Dan. 3. 14 15 16 17 18. ad finem Yea their very enemies at last proclaimed them Conquerours and a glorious decree is made that no God besides their God should be worshipped and that it should be present death for any within the Kings Dominions to speak the least word against their God vers 28. 29. And they themselves are promoted higher then ever they were in the Province of Babylon A man would little have thought when he saw the three Children bound by the Command of an angry King and cast into a hot Furnace that this should have been the way to their preferment and yet God made it so to be Daniel also he did like a man of God in the day of his Temptation He was tempted to forbear praying for 30. dayes It was a bare omission nothing was he compelled to do against the Law of God onely to forbear holy invocation for a moneths time he had liberty to pray in his heart and to pray in a corner unseen he might have had 1000. things to have pretended for his omission He was a man of note had a high place in the Kingdom and was likely to rise yet higher if obedience to his God did not hinder his preferment he was able to do great services for the Church by his Interest in the Kingdom and would he now cut off himself and prejudice the Church for so small a matter All these things and many more no doubt were suggested to him by Satan and his Instruments but Daniel like a man of courage opposeth all these and what the issue was you may read Dan. 6. per totum He beat the Devill in his own Den by the help of Gods Angel he clapt a muzzle upon the mouthes of the hungry Lions lived to see the just hand of God upon his conspirators who had contrived his death were promoted higher then ever and which was best of all obtained a Decree from the King that all men should tremble at the God of Daniel And who knowes whether in our evill day of Church Calamities the Prince of darkness and his adherents may not be utterly foiled by the constancy of a few of the people of God in opposing temptations This Doctrine is singularly comfortable to 3. Vse many poor Christians who are actually engaged against Satan Many perhaps of Gods Children are even wearied out with a long siege night and day for many moneths together doth the Devil play upon them with his Temptations of all sorts They cannot sleep or eat or confer or hear c. but Satans Darts fly in their face in the morning they say would to God it were evening c. Here 's good news for such Christians Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry Cast not away your confidence which hath great recompence of reward Heb. 10. 35 36 37. Here is relief a comming to you you know not how neer it may be and if you hold out it will not come too late The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly Rom.

a practical transforming knowledge His knowledge is diffused into every step of his life into every action his life is reformed by his knowledge and conformed to the truths of God whereas the knowledge of an unbeleiver neither changeth his heart nor life except it be from evill to worse his knowledge puffeth him up 1 Cor. 8. 1. it makes him more proud and more sensual It s said of the Heathen that they retained nor God in their knowledge Rom. 1. 28. but became vain in their imaginations the one hath onely the form of knowledge Rom. 2. 20. the other hath not onely the form but the power and the life also 3. The knowledge of faith is a knowledge which raises the heart nearer to God The knowledge of a Beleiver crucifieth the world unto him and him unto the world Gal. 6. 14. vide Phil. 3. 8. 10. whereas the knowledge of an unbeleiver bows down his soul nearer the earth 2. Concerning the assent of an unbeleiver it differs from the assent of true faith thus 1. The assent of faith is a chearful assent It s free But the assent of an unbeleiver is without joy Jam. 2. 19. The devils beleive and tremble so do the unbeleiver at least concerning some truths 2. The assent of faith is universal So is not the assent of an unbeleiver at least his chearful assent There are some truths in the Scripture which threaten ruine and destruction to all in his condition these he cannot assent to at least joyfully There are some truths which call him to the practise of such things which he hath no affection to the crucifying of sin the mortifying of corruptions cutting off the right hand c. he had rather these were not truths than real truths he hath secret wishes that these truths were either raced out or else that they had been propounded with a greater latitude 2. Mistake is about Application He that can truly apply Christ to himself hath true faith in Christ for this is the Ratio formalis the special act of faith Now many an unbeleiver thinks he can apply Christ as well as any other Those in Luk. 13. 25 26 come to Christ with much seeming confidence as if they had been of intimate acquaintance with him Lord Lord open to us and yet never had saving faith in him I shall here shew a threefold difference between the Application of a Beleiver and an unbeleiver 1. The Application of saving faith is from something of Christ wrought savingly within him He finds the Image of Christ in him he hath well grounded hopes of it and therefore applies Christ to him As Thomas in another case sees the print of the nails and then saith My Lord and my God So a true Beleiver sees upon his soul the print of the nails the dyings of the Lord Jesus the Characters of his death burial resurrection and therefore applies him to himself Whereas the application of Christ made by an unbeleiver is meerly from that discovery which is made of Christ in the Scripture and not from any intrinsecal worth which he finds upon his own heart vide Galat. 2 20. there you have Pauls application I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me c. What ground can you shew within you why Christ is yours 2. The Application of saving faith is alwayes agreeable to the tenor of the Promise and Covenant wherein Christ is held forth Vide Ezek. 36. 25 26 27. Faith applies the grace of Christ as well as the merit of Christ applies Christ for sanctification as well as for justification applies the water as well as the bloud the application which an unbeleiver makes is onely or chiefly of the comforts and of the purchase of Christ c. he applies the Merit of Christ not the Spirit of Christ the Promises not the Commands c. whereas true faith applies him universally his Kingly and Prophetical Office as well as his Priestly vide Phil. 3. 9 10. 3. The Application of faith is alwayes accompanied with self-Resignation The true Beleiver doth as chearfully surrender himself to Christ as applies Christ to himself So did the Apostle Phil. 3. 12. he would not onely apprehend but be apprehended And so the Church Cant. 2. 16. My beloved is mine and I am his He doth not onely apply the sin offering but he offers also the burnt Offering The Apostle Rom. 12. 1. would have Christians to yeeld themselves to God c. The unbeleiver he onely applies Christ to himself he doth not voluntarily yeeld himself to Christ he doth not dedicate himself to Christ by holiness and obedience 2. I shall now give some positive evidences of true faith I shall ground them upon several places of Scripture 1. That of the Apostle Acts 15. 9. Purifying your hearts by faith Heart purity is a necessary concomitant and consequence of saving faith Jesus Christ saith the Apostle is made unto us of God wisdom righteousness sanctification c. 1 Cor. 1. 30. If by faith thou hast Christ for thy righteousness he is also thy sanctification He whose heart is unpurified is destitute of the grace of faith Now the purification of the heart may be known by these five evidences 1. A purified heart is a heart that truly bewails all pollutions and impurities The most clean heart hath some pollution unmortified but he hath no defilement unlamented his stains and sores and spots are his greatest burthen his heaviest sorrow Pauls body of death put him to more grief than all the troubles which befel him in his whole life Rom. 7. 23 24. Is it so with thee Dost thou bewail the uncleanness of thy heart cordially sadly secretly Thou wouldest gladly be delivered from it Thou canst neither eat nor drink nor sleep quietly with it The impurity of thy heart turns thy sweetnesses into bitternesse This is certainly an effect of true faith Vide Zech. 12. 10. Looking upon Christ is beleiving in him this beleiving is expressed by sorrowing And if thou wouldest in truth be rid of thy corruptions thou wilt then diligently make use of all meanes be they never so painfull never so costly that may cleanse them away 2. A purified heart will kindly accept of brotherly reproof for his impurity or any advice that may make him clean He will love a person better all his life for any faithful rebuke or counsel Psalm 141. 5. Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindness c. David shews the purity of his heart by his accepting the rebukes of Abigail 1 Sam. 25. 32 33. A heart that is purified is best pleased with that Sermon that comes closest to his conscience he would have all his heart discovered to himself Hide nothing from me said Eli to Samuel 1 Sam. 3. 17. Yea he begs that God would search his heart for him Psalm 139. 23 24. Whereas a heart that is unclean cares not to have any spot discovered he either openly flies in the face or else secretly hates

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to fight or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tollo because it is the Instrument of fighting Of the Spirit Spirit is used sometimes Essentially for all the three persons Joh. 4. 24. Sometimes it s used Personally for the third person of the Trinity the Holy Ghost and so I suppose it 's used in this place The Reasons of it I shall shew afterwards Which is the Word of God There 's a two-fold Word of God 1. The Substantial or Essential Word of God viz. Jesus Christ the second Person of the Trinity Rev. 19. 13. 1 Joh. 5. 7. Joh. 1. 1. He is called the Word of GOD for two Reasons First because as the Word is Character mentis in men so Christ the Son is the Character or express Effigies of the Fathers Counsel The word or speech is Interpres mentis so Christ is Interpres Patris Joh. 1. 18. Secondly He is called the Word of God in regard of his personal properties of working whereas the Father workes by way of hidden counsel the Holy Ghost by way of internall virtue the Son workes by way of Word laying open the counsel of God and putting it into execution by his Almighty Word that is by the power of his Will outwardly set forth 2. The written Word This is nothing else but the Writings of Prophets Apostles and other holy men of God contained in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament which for the excellency of them are called The Bible or The Book because it 's the most excellent Book the Book of Books This is that Word of God which the Apostle here recommends unto the Christian Souldier It is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Substantial word is called but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the name given to the written Word I might make many Doctrines but I will put altogether into this one viz. DOCT. He that would be enabled to withstand and to overcome Satan in his Temptations must be careful to take and use the Sword of the Spirit which is the written Word of God By this Sword it was that our Saviour did both preserve himself and turned the Devil to flight in his day of Temptation He drew out this Sword Scriptum est and with the power of it overcame his adversary Matth. 4. In the handling of this Doctrine I shall open these three things 1. Give some Reasons to prove that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God 2. Shew you the Reason of this Title the Sword of the Spirit 3. Shew you how this Sword is useful to help a Christian in the day of Temptations First That the Scriptures are the Word of God 1. From the evidence of Scripture it self For this I shall refer you to these places 2 Tim. 3. 16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 1. 21. Prophecie came not in old time by the Will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost Psal 119. 105. Thy Word is a Lamp to my feet So ver 72. The Law of thy mouth is better unto me then thousands of gold and silver I might give you thousands of places to this purpose Secondly From the nature of the Writings themselves 1. The matter of them is of such height and sublimity as that Reason is too low to make such discoveries The mystery of the Trinity is a thing above the comprehension of Reason Reason may a little illustrate it now when 't is revealed but Reason could never have found it out The great mystery of Christs Incarnation the Personal Union of the two Natures this is a mystery not onely above Reason but above the Angelical Understanding 1 Pet. 1. 12. The Angels pry into this mystery they could never have found it out had it not been revealed in the Scriptures vid. Eph. 3. 10. This manifold wisdom of God is made known unto Principalities and Powers by the Church The Doctrine of the Resurrection of the Body is a Doctrine too high for Reason to have found out The Corruption of mans nature by the sinne of Adam c. 2. The harmonious consent and sweet agreement which is between one part of Scripture and another Though they were penned by severall persons in several Ages in several places farre distant from one another the Pen-men neither advising nor conferring with one another yet in nothing contradictory but sweetly corresponding one with another one Prophet writing nothing contrary to another All the Evangelists conspiring and agreeing mutually one with another as if they had been all in one and the same place which is impossible and was never seen amongst the Writings of men 3. The rare Predictions which are in the Scriptures accomplished at the very seasons No Creature can fore-tell or fore-know things before-hand and the Prophecies of the Scripture are not laid down Oracle-wise with ambiguity but with positive certainty expressing the very times of things the names of persons the period of States c. Gen. 3. 15. It was four thousand years before his birth and yet when the fulness of time came God sent forth his Sonne made of a woman Gal. 4. 4. So that Prediction Gen. 15. 13 14 Thy Seed shall be a stranger c. This deliverance was fore-told four hundred years before-hand So that in 1 King 13. 2 3. the Prophecy against the Altar of Bethel in Jeroboams time it was as Chronologers observe 330 and odd years before and yet 2 King 23. 16. it was fulfilled in its season That in Esa 45. 1. concerning Cyrus Cyrus was not born of a hundred years after that All the Propheticall Doctrines concerning Christ of his Sufferings Death Buriall his Crucifying with Thieves Resurrection All as punctually fore-told by the Prophets as related by the Evangelists afterward who were Eye-witnesses of them 4. The manner of enjoyning the Doctrines therein contained Meerly the Authority of the Speaker Thus saith the Lord Hear the Word of the Lord c. Other Writings go about to move men to entertain them by the strength of Naturall Reason so did the Philosophers It 's said of Plato that when he read the first Chapter of Genesis he used these words Hic vir multa dicit nihil probat 5. The Scriptures enjoyn many things which are contrary to reason That a man should deny himself Mat. 16. 2. That when we have done all we can we are unprofitable servants that a man must trust to the righteousness of another that he that will be wise must become a fool that he may be wise that he that will save his life shall lose it c. This makes the Apostle say 1 Cor. 2. 14. That a natural man cannot discern the things of the Spirit c. 6. The Scriptures doe prescribe not onely Laws for the outward man but for the heart also Thought is free from the cognizance of human Laws but not from this Law Curse