Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	abraham_n	accomplish_v	accomplishment_n	18	3	10.8785	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B03494	Great and precious promises; or, Some sermons concerning the promises, and the right application thereof whereunto are added some other concerning the usefulness of faith in advancing sanctification. As also, three more concerning the faith of assurance. / By Mr. Andrew Gray, late minister of the Gospel in Glasgow. All being revised since his death by some friends.	Gray, Andrew, 1633-1656.; Traill, Robert, 1642-1716.; Stirling, John, b. 1621?	1663 (1663)	Wing G1608A; ESTC R177624	115,304	218

been passing many excellent promises he strengtheneth their faith with this Thus saith the Lord God Almighty and no doubt where the word of this King is there is power and who can say unto him what dost thou O misbeliever of the precious promises of the Covenant be ashamed to cast up your eyes to heaven above or to the earth beneath we think the Stars the Sun the Moon and all the works of God they may speak that to you do not misbelieve God but trust in him That is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working The second is the wisdom and infinit counsel of God he hath not only compleat ability to accomplish the promise that he hath given but he hath the depths and treasures of knowledge by which he hath contrived the way of the accomplishment of such a promise Hence is that word 2 Sam. 23.5 that the Covenant is well ordered which speaketh out the wisdom of God and then that word is subjoyned the Covenant is sure yea the Covenant of Grace is such a thing that there is so much of the arte of heaven so much of infinit wisdom shining in it that it is called the counsel of God Heb. 6.17 That ye might know the immutability of his counsel The third golden pillar is the infinit love of God that though there be nothing in us that can put him to accomplish the promises yet he will take an argument from his own love to make out such a promise to us there is sometimes if not alwayes nothing in us but that which may speak forth delayes of the accomplishment of the promises but when God can bring no argument from us he can bring an argument from his own love as Deut. 7.7 8. where giving a reason of the accomplishment of many promises and of his love to them I loved you saith he because I loved you there being no reason that can be given for love but love The fourth is The unchangeablnesse of the Promiser that he is the same yesterday and to day and for ever and without all alteration and shaddow of change Hence ye may see Exod. 3.14 when God is repeating many preciou● Promises unto Moses He as it were 〈◊〉 strengtheneth Moses faith with this I am saith he that I am which we conceive to point forth the unchangeablnesse of God that what he hath said he will certainly accomplish in its own time and though the vision do tarry yet at last it shall speak The fifth is The faithfulnesse of God and that he is one that cannot lie but certainly will make out what he hath spoken Love it maketh the promises the faithfulnesse and power of God accomplisheth the promises and the infinit wisdom of God chooseth the most fit time for the performing of them Hence it is said Psal 119.89 90. Thy word O Lord is for ever setled in heaven and the ground of it is in the following verse For thy faithfulnesse is unto all generations Hence you may see that oftentimes when God is making promises to his own he putteth to that word I that speak in righteousnesse Isa 45.19 and Isa 63.1 O! must not the promises be unchangeable that are made by the Father who is the God of Truth Must not the promises be unchangeable that are received and merited by the Son that is Truth it self and the faithfull Witnesse and Amen Must not the promises be unchangeable that are applyed by the holy Ghost that is the Spirit of Truth And must not the promises be unchangeable that are made known unto us by the Gospel that is the word of Truth Was there ever any who could leave that upon record of God that he was unfaithfull in the accomplishment of his promises O what a clear sight of the faithfulnesse of God shall a Christian get whe● he shall be standing upon the our most line between Time and Eternity then he will see God faithful in accomplishing all his promises unto him from first to last The last golden pillar is The justice of God His justice it now putteth him to accomplish his promises mercy and righteousnesse have now kissed each other Hence is that word 1 Joh. 1.9 He is just and faithful to forgive So that now the accomplishment of the promises it is not only an act of love but it is an act of justice also We confesse indeed love and mercy maketh the promises but justice and truth also putteth God to the accomplishment of them Hence is that word Micah 7.20 To perform the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham Why is it mercy to Abraham and it is truth to Jacob It is in short this because mercy made the promises to Abraham but truth did accomplish the promises to Jacob. The third thing that we shall speak to from this That the promises are unchangeable shall be to presse these six duties upon you from this point O Christians and Expectants of Heaven who have Christ in you the hope of Glory rejoyce and be exceeding glad that the promises are unchangeable 1. This is a duty that is pressed from that ground Heb. 6.18 That by two immutable things we might have strong consolation There is exceeding much joy that may come to a Christian from this that the promises shall be accomplished i● their own time We conceive that the word unchangeable it is engraven upon the head of many a Christians mercies Is not unchangeable written above the head of our promises Is not unchangeable written upon the head of our blessednesse Is not unchangeable written above the head of our enjoyment of God That day is coming when we shall have unchangeable love unchangeable enjoyment of God and all things unchangeable And we conceive that if these two were believed the truth of the promises and the unchangeablenesse of the promises a Christian might walk through this valey of tears with joy and comfort himself in hope The second duty we would presse is this that ye would surcease and give over your disputings and carnal reasonings about the accomplishment of the promises since the promises of God are unchangeable ought not we with this to silence misbelief and all that blind humane reason can say This is pressed Heb. 6.16 An oath for confirmation it is an end of all strife Gods confirming of his Covenant by an oath it ought to cut short the disputings of misbelief And here give me leave to point out a little these grounds upon which it is that Christians doth so much dispute the accomplishment of promises and to let you see how all these grounds may be answered from these six pillars that were given of their unchangeablnesse The first is When dispensations seemeth to coutradict the truth of the Promises the promise it speaketh one thing and dispensations seem to speak another and this is the occasion that oftentimes Christians cry out Doth his promise fail for evermore This is clear from the practice of David 1 Sam. 27.1 when dispensations were

upon the top of the accomplishment and truth of the promises then misbelief it ariseth as a Champion mighty to war and cryeth out I shall one day fall by the hand of Saul And we conceive that dispensations contradicting the truth of the promises was the occasion of his speaking that word Psal 116.11 I said in my haste all men are liars And I would only say to you that dispute the truth of the promises upon this account that dispensations contradicteth them Do but consider this God in his way is not like unto you Would ye know the time when the promises are nearest their accomplishment it is then when we can least see that they are to be accomplished the promises are never nearer their performance then when we think that they are furthest off from it And therefore let the faith of the omnipotency of God uphold your spirit under such a debate then let dispensations speak what they will ye may answer all with this There is nothing too hard for him there is nothing too hard for the Lord. I grant this may try the strength of the strongest faith yea we finde it hath made the best to stagger when they had no probabilities to tell them that the promise shall be accomplished this was the ground of Sarahs misbelief Gen. 18.12 that when she heard she should bear a son in her old age she laughed within her self and did as it were mock at such a promise and this was the ground of Moses his misbelief Numb 11.21 22. he did not see a probability that such a multitude should be fed with flesh and therefore he did call in question the truth of that promise this was the ground of the misbelief of that Lord that is made mention 2 King 7.2 and this was the ground of Zecharies misbelief Luk. 1.20 But I would only say to you that do so much consult with probability in the exercise of your faith these two things 1. There is nothing too hard for God this was the very argument that God took to convince Sarah in the 14. vers of that 18. Chapter Is there any thing too hard for God And 2. Faith is never in its native and spiritual exercise till once probabilities contradict the truth of the promise then faith it is put upon the stage and then faith doth act but as long as faith and probabilities think one thing then the day of the trial of the strength of faith is not yet come The second ground upon which Christians dispute the accomplishment of the promises Is their much disputing of their interest in God Sometimes a Christian will believe a promise and before the accomplishment of the promise come their hope will be darkned their interest in Christ will be obscured and then they do quite their faith in adhering to the truth of that promise These two are joyned together want of the faith of our interest and want of faith of the accomplishment of the promise as it is clear from that word Psal 77.8 Is his mercy clean gone There is disputing of his interest and presently this is subjoyned Doth his promise fail for evermore Except a Christian ca● read his name in the ancient records of heaven and can seal this conclusion I am my beloveds and my beloved he is mine it will be a hard and a difficult task for him if not impossible to believe the promises The fourth ground of a Christians disputing the truth of the promises is their mistaking the way how the promises are to be accomplished There are some that suppose that when ever they close with a promise by faith there is no more but to enter to the possession of such a promise but do not mistake it between your believing the promise and the accomplishment of it there may be sad and dark dayes interveening according to that word in Mark. 10.30 where Christ passing great promises to his Disciples He as it were doth adde do not mistake me that ye shall have these promises without trouble and affliction Ye shall receive saith he an hundred fold in this life with persecutions A Christian when he believeth the promises he must resolve to have a winter before the spring time come wherein the promise shall bud and flourish The fifth ground of a Christians disputing ●●e truth of the promises is when the promises are long in their accomplishing A Christian when first he meeteth with a promise he will cry forth O I believe but when time is taken for the accomplishment of it then his faith beginneth to faint and his hope beginneth to languish and give over yea sometimes Christians they fall in this fault when they believe a promise they fix a day for the accomplishment of it which if God do not keep but go over then they immediately cry forth What is my strength that I should wait and what is my confidence that I should prolong my dayes This is clear in the practice of Abraham where the promise of having a numerous seed being given to him Gen. 2.12 the long time before that promise was accomplished in part to him was the occasion of his misbelief that he vented Gen. 15.3 O Lord what wilt thou give me since I go childelesse But ye must know that before the vision shall speak there is an appointed time that ye must wait according to 1 Pet. 5.9 10. After ye have suffered a while then the promises shall be accomplished and ye shall be made perfect The sixth ground upon which Christians call in question the accomplishment of the promises is The consideration of the greatnesse of the thing that is promised when they compare it with their own worth and deserving then they begin to dispute O shall such a thing be shall unworthy I shall finful I shall self-destroying I shall I that am lesse then the least of his mercies receive the accomplishment of such a mercy This we may suppose was one ground of Abrahams misbelief Gen. 17.18 when he cryed forth at that same time when the Lord was giving him the excellent promise of an Isaac O that Ishmael might live He thought an Isaac such an excellent mercy that he could not without presumption expect the accomplishment of that promise And Zach. 8.6 this was the ground of their misbelief which God doth sweetly obviate If it be wonderful in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these dayes should it also be wonderful in mine The last ground upon which Christians dispute the accomplishment of the promises is When in the time between their believing and the accomplishment of the promise they fall into some grosse iniquity this maketh them exceedingly debate whether the promise shall be accomplished unto them for since they have transgressed the Covenant of God and have broken their purposes and resolutions they cannot suppose God will abide faithful to them and once accomplish his promises unto them and the only way how to answer this dispute is to look

is like unto thee he 〈◊〉 came matchlesse unto them through the p●formance of the promises And so we conce●● that these who are much in spiritual obser●tion of the performance of the promises th● will see precious draughts of the Majesty God engraven upon them so that they 〈◊〉 be constrained to cry out that he above mighty that his Name is Jehovah and in 〈◊〉 is everlasting strength upon which we ough● to rely in our greatest straits The fourth advantage is The observi● of the accomplishment of the promises w● help a Christian when he is redacted u●● new straits to be much in the exercise of fa●● upon God his former experience will p●duce hope in his soul for there is not ●●discovery of the faithfulnesse of God but ha●● a voice and cryeth out O believe him wh●● able to give a clear being unto his word T●● is clear from Psal 56 at the close Thou 〈◊〉 delivered my soul from death saith David then he subioyneth Wilt thou not delive● feet from falling that is I am certainly 〈◊〉 swaded thou wilt likewise perform that w● unto me And from Psal 37.2 3. he giv● that tittle unto God vers 2. that he perso●meth all things for him and then he doth s●joyn He shal send from heaven and save me and by the way the soul that can give God that tittle and stile That he performeth all things for them that soul must of necessity be in a choise and excellent state And the point is likewise clear from 2 Cor. 1.10 where Paul saith God hath delivered me and he doth deliver me and from hence he draweth that conclusion of Faith And he will yet deliver me We confess sometimes our former experiences of the faithfulnesse of God they do not support our faith when we are redacted unto new difficulties which is either occasioned through the greatnesse of the strait that we are now put to in our apprehensions above that which we were put to before so that though God did deliver us when we were running with footmen yet we have no faith to believe that he shall deliver us when we are about to contend with horses or else it is through the unfaithfulnesse of our walk in not answering the precious dispensations of Christ in accomplishment of his promises for this maketh us that we cannot with boldnesse make use of his Word when we are brought into a new strait a guilty conscience is the mother of misbelief The fifth advantage is That the accomplishment of the promises doth occasion much spiritual joy and rejoycing unto his own We told you the giving of the promises occasioneth joy and when the promises travelleth in birth and bringeth forth that occasioneth much more spiritual joy this is clear from Psal 28.7 The Lord is my strength and my shield my heart trusted in him and I was help And he draweth this excellent conclusi●● from it Therefore my heart greatly rejoycet● and with my soul will I praise him And 〈◊〉 conceive that sometimes that God tryste●● the accomplishment of the promises wi●● some precious manifestation of himself to th● soul which maketh them to rejoyce with j● unspeakable and full of glory but howeve● this is the matter of a spiritual song Th● mercy and truth have met together and right● ousnesse and peace are kissing one another Is not a pleasant matter of a song to beho●● love making promises and to behold faithfulnesse accomplishing them And the last advantage is That the obs●vation of the accomplishment of promise● doth strengthen a Christians faith in his inn● rest in God so that now many disputings a● silenced and many questions now are out 〈◊〉 the way this is clear Psal 31.21 22. Dav● confesseth his quarrelling before but wh●● once the Lord had shewed his marvellous lovin● kindnesse in a strong city then all his quarr● was against himself because he had quarrelle and did say in his hast I am cut off from bef● thine eyes And now we shall only speak a little 〈◊〉 to some duties that we would presse up●● you from that which we have spok● And the first duty is That Christians wo●● be much in waiting for the accomplishme●● of the promises and standing upon th● watch tower untill the vision shall spea●● And we shall only give you these to enfor●● it 1. It is commanded that you should so do this is clear from Psal 27. at the close where David presseth that duty very much Wait on the Lord saith he and if that be not enough he will repeat that command in that same verse Wait I say on the Lord and no doubt the doubling of it speaketh not only advantage that is in it but our difficulty to obey it and the great necessity that we have to go about it and that same word is repeated by David Psal 31.24 Be of good courage which is that same to wait upon the Lord. 2. These that wait patiently for the accomplishment of the promises God will strengthen them to wait this is clear from Psal 27. at the close Wait on the Lord and when we are Hagar like casting away the childe of hope he will open our eyes and give us resreshment by which we may be supported under our disquietment and he shall strengthen thine heart And there is this 3. There shall be a speedy accomplishment of the promises it is not long before all the mercies that eves the Lord hath promised and thou hast believed shall be told down to you as it were in one sum principall and interest as is clear from Hab. 2.3 where he positively asserteth That the vision will come and will not tarry There is indeed a pleasant seeming contradiction in that verse he had said before that the vision would tarry and yet here he saith The vision will not tarry but will surely come in which ye may see the divinity both of sense and faith and that noble contradiction that is between their asse●●ons Sense asserting that the promise do●● tarry too long and Faith crying out it w●● surely come it will not tarry which 〈◊〉 set down 2 Pet. 3.9 The Lord is not sl●● concerning his promise 4. Promises th●● come unto us through the most strong 〈◊〉 lively exercise of Faith and that are e●●pected and longed for by us before the come they are most relishing and sweet an● these mercies come unto us with a bindi●● tye of love this is somewhat pointed 〈◊〉 in Isa 25.9 where the Church cryeth forth Lo this is our God we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation their waiting and expecting of the promis● to be accomplished in its time is there th● fountain of their song and of their spiritual joy I think sometimes a Christian is lik● that misbelieving Lord 2 King 7.2 th●● though they meet with the accomplishment of a promise yet they do not taste of th●● sweetnesse that is in it because they did no●● believe the Word of the Lord.

his way that will come and shall come and shall not tarry we desire to give praise SERMON V. 2 Pet. 1.4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust THere are three cardinal and excellent Graces that are exercised and taken up with the precious promises there is the excellent grace of Faith that believeth the truth and the goodnesse of the promise there is the precious grace of Hope that with patience waiteth for the accomplishment of the promise and doth stay untill the vision speak and that noble grace of Love that loveth the thing that is promised and taketh exceeding much delight in the Promiser If we may be allowed to speak so we think these strange revolutions and times we live in are another Eclesiastes which doth fully preach forth the vanity and emptinesse of all things that are below God And we do indeed conceive that it is the great design of God in the dark●ing of our pleasant things and in making every gourd to wither under the shaddow 〈◊〉 which we use to repose our self and in fa●●●●ifling all the gods of the earth to bring hi●● own to delight themselves in this visible Treasure the pomises of the everlasting Covenant and in him who is the substance of them and that since all things else are declared to be vanity we might choise these as our own portion for ever At the last occasion that we spake upon these words we were speaking unto the properties of the promises and we told you that there were four of them holden forth 1. The freedom of the promises 2. The unchangeablenesse of the promises of which two we have spoken unto you and now there remains other two to be spoken to to wit that the promises are exceeding great and that they are exceeding precious a sweet and excellent though a rare conjunction greatnesse and goodnesse here kissing one another preciousnesse and highnesse linked together by the bond of Union And we shall speak unto these two properties to ●●ther and shall clear a little this thing 〈…〉 what respects the promises of the Cove●●●● may be called exceeding great and precious And we conceive in short they may be called so in these eight respects First They are exceeding great in respect of the great price that was laid down to purchase them there not being a promise of the everlasting Covenant above the head of which this may not be engraven in great letters Here is the price and purchase of bloud And no doubt this ought highly to commend the promis●● that they are bought at so infinite a race Must they not be great and precious things that so wise a Merchant did lay down so infinit a treasure for the purchasing of them 2. They may be called exceeding great and precious in respect of those great and precious things that are promised in them Is not godlinesse a great thing and this is within the bosome of a promise Is not heaven and eternal enjoyment of God a great and precious thing and yet this lyeth within the bosome of a promise Is not the knowing of God as he is our perfect conformity with God our victory over Idols great and excellent things and yet all these are treasured up in the promises 3. They may be called exceeding great and precious in respect of the great advantage that redounds to a Christian through the enjoyment of them the promises of the everlasting Covenant if so we may speak are the Pensils that draws the draughts and lineaments of the Image of Christ upon the soul it is the promises of the everlasting Covenant by which we are changed from glory to glory as it were by the Spirit of the Lord and as Peter doth here speak the promises are such things whereby we are made partakers of the divine nature 4. They may be called exceeding precious in respect of that neat relation that they have unto Jesus Christ What are all the promises of the Covenant of Grace Are they not streams and rivolets that flow from Jesus Christ Christ is the fountain out of which all these promises do spring and can this fountain that is sweet in it self send forth any bitter waters must they not ●e precious things that have such a noble descent as to be streams of love flowing out from the Father to the Son and from Him unto us as the pouring out of the oyntment upon the head of Aaron which ran down the beard unto the skirts of his garments 5. They may be called exceeding precious promises in respect they or rather Christ in them are the object of precious faith What is the meat upon which faith doth feed is it not upon the promises of the Covenant and Christ the kernill of them What are these things that faith taketh so much delight in and is supported by Is it not the promises of the Covenant 6. They may be called exceeding precious in that they are the things that guideth and leadeth us to precious Christ There is not a promise within the Book of the Covenant but as it were it cryeth forth with a loud voice O come to Christ The promises are indeed the star that leadeth us unto the house where Christ doth ly and there is no accesse unto Jesus Christ but by a promise Christ is to be found there for he dwells within the bounds of the everlasting Covenant and there he will tryst with his people and be found of them And 7. They may be called exceeding precious in respect that the Saints have found such sweetnesse and such unspeakable delight in these promises Did not David find a great sweetnesse in the promises when he cryed forth The word of thy mouth are better unto me then thousands of gold and silver Did he not find much sweetnesse in the promises when he was constrained to cry out Thy Law is sweeter 〈◊〉 to me then the honey and the honey comb D●vid in a manner was put to a nonplus to fin● out any suitable similitude and significant resemblance to point out the sweetnesse of th● promises though we may see the Christians of this time in a spiritual fever they have lost their spiritual taste so that they may say if we may allude unto that word 2 Sam. 19.25 I am this day fourscore years old and cannot discern between good and evil can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink They know not what it is to be overcome with the sweetnesse that is to be found in these excellent streams of divine consolation Lastly The promises may be called exceeding precious in that the Saints have a high and matchlesse account of them Hence that word here rendered Precious may likewise be rendered Honourable which speaketh forth that there is nothing that hath so much of the esteem of a Christian as the promises Would ye put wisdom