Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	act_n	faith_n	word_n	2,063	5	4.6173	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85428	Christ set forth in his [brace] death, resurrection, ascension, sitting at Gods right hand, intercession, [brace] as the [brace] cause of justification. Object of justifying faith. Upon Rom. 8. ver. 34. Together with a treatise discovering the affectionate tendernesse of Christs heart now in heaven, unto sinners on earth. / By Tho: Goodwin, B.D.	Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1642 (1642)	Wing G1232; Thomason E58_2; Thomason E58_3; ESTC R8966	205,646	392

CHRIST SET FORTH In his Death Resurrection Ascension Sitting at Gods right hand Intercession As the CAUSE of Iustification OBJECT of Iustifying Faith Upon ROM 8. VER 34. TOGETHER WITH A TREATISE DISCOVERING The Affectionate tendernesse of CHRISTS HEART now in Heaven unto Sinners on Earth By THO GOODWIN B. D. LONDON Printed by W. E. and J. G. for Robert Dawlman MDCXLII TO THE READER WHat the scope of this treatise it selfe is the Title-page and the Table that followes will sufficiently informe you I shall onely here acquaint you with what was mine in a few words I have by long experience observed many holy and precious soules who have clearely and wholly given up themselves to Christ to be saved by him his owne way And who at their first conversion as also at times of desertion have made an entire and immediate cloze with Christ alone for their Justification who yet in the ordinary course and way of their spirits have beene too much carried away with the Rudiments of Christ in their owne hearts and not after Christ himselfe The streame of their more constant thoughts and deepest intentions running in the channell of reflecting upon and searching into the gracious dispositions of their owne hearts so to bring down or to raise up as the Apostles words are Rom. 10. 8. and so get a sight of Christ by them Whereas Christ himselfe is nigh them as the Apostle there speakes if they would but nakedly look upon himselfe through thoughts of pure and single faith And although the use of our owne graces by way of signe and evidence of Christ in us be allowed us by God and is no way derogatory from Christ if subordinated to faith and so as that the heart be not too inordinate and immoderate in poring too long or too much on them to fetch their comfort from them unto a neglect of Christ yet as pleasures that are lawfull are unlawfully used when our thoughts and intentions are too long or too frequent or too vehement in them so as to dead the heart either to the present delighting in God or pursuing after him with the joint strength of our soules as our onely chiefest good so an immoderate recourse unto signes though barely considered as such is as unwarrantable when thereby we are diverted and taken off from a more constant actuall exercise of daily thoughts of faith towards Christ immediately as he is set forth to be our righteousnes either by the way of Assurance which is a kind of enjoyment of him or Recumbency and renewed Adherence in pursuit after him And yet the minds of many are so wholly taken up with their own hearts that as the Psalmist sayes of God Christ is scarce in all their thoughts But let these consider what a dishonour this must needs be unto Christ that his traine and favourites our graces should have a fuller Court and more frequent attendance from our hearts then himselfe who is the King of Glory And likewise what a shame also it is for beleevers themselves who are his Spouse to look upon their Husband no otherwise but by reflection and at second hand through the intervention and assistance of their own graces as Mediators between him and them Now to rectifie this errour the way is not wholly to reject all use of such evidences but to order them both for the season as also the issue of them For the reason so as that the use of them goe not before but still should follow after an addresse of faith first renewed acts thereof put forth upon Christ himselfe Thus whensoever wee would goe downe into our owne hearts and take a view of our graces let us be sure first to looke wholly out of our selves unto Christ as our justification and to cloze with him immediately and this as if we had no present or by past grace to evidence our being in him And if then whilst faith is thus immediately clasping about Christ as sitting upon his Throne of Grace we finde either present or fore-past graces comming in as Hand-maids to attend and witnesse to the truth of this adherence unto Christ as after such single and absolute acts of faith it oftentimes falls out The Holy Ghost without whose light they shine not bearing witnesse with our spirits that is our graces as well as to our spirits And then againe for the issue of them if in the closure of all we again let fall our viewing and comforting our selves in them or this their testimony and begin afresh upon this encouragement to act faith upon Christ immediately with a redoubled strength if thus I say we make such evidences to be subservient onely unto faith whilst it makes Christ its Alpha Omega the beginning and end of all this will be no prejudice at all to Christs glory or the workings of faith it selfe for by this course the life of faith is still actually maintained and kept upon wing in its full ure and exercise towards Christ alone for justification Whereas many Christians doe habitually make that onely but as a supposed or taken for granted principle which they seldome use but have laid up for a time of need But actually live more in the view and comfort of their owne graces and the gracious workings thereof in duties towards Christ The Reason of this defect among many other I have attributed partly to a Barrennes as Peters phrase is in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and of such things revealed about him as might be matter for faith to worke and feede upon As also to a want of skill whilst men want assurance to bend and bow and subjugate to the use of a faith of meere adherence all those things that they know and heare of Christ as made justification unto us It being in experience a matter of the greatest difficulty and yet certainly most feasable and attainable for such a faith as can yet onely relie cast it self upon Christ for justification yet rightly to take in and so to make use of all that which is or may be said of Christ his being made righteousnesse to us in his Death Resurrection c. as to quicken and strengthen it selfe in such acts of meere Adherence untill Assurance it selfe comes for whose use and entertainment all such truths lie more fair and directly to be received by it They all serve as a fore-right wind to assurāce of faith to fil the sails thereof carry it on with a more full and constant gale as the word used by the Apostle for Assurance imports whereas to the faith of a poore recumbent they serve but as a halfe-side-wind unto which yet through skill the sailes of such a faith may be so turned and applyed towards it as to carry a soule on with much ease and quietnesse unto Christ the desired Haven It notwithstanding waiting all that while for a more faire and full gale of assurances in the end Now to helpe or instruct beleevers in

High-Priest as the former also he had done But thereby to shew that it is Christs duty also to mediate for all that come to him He ought to doe it Now then to enforce this consideration for the help of our faith herein If this office doth by Gods appointment thus bind him to it and if it be the duty of his place then certainly he will performe it most exactly for else he doth not doe his duty And our comfort may be that his faithfulnesse lies in being mercifull therefore you see they are both here joyned together Every one is to doe the proper duty of his place and exactly to see to that And therefore the Apostle Rom. 12. exhorting to the discharge of the duties of each office in the Church ver 7. he sayes Let him that hath a Ministery committed to him wait on his ministery and among others if his place of ministration be to shew mercy as ver 8. which was an office in the Church upon which lyed the care of the poore and sick he is to doe it with cheerfulnesse And so sayes Christ of himselfe Esay 61. 1 2. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bind up the broken hearted to open the prison doores to them that are bound to visit and relieve them and to preach good tidings to the meeke Such kind of soules are they that he hath the charge of He is the great Shepheard and Bishop of soules 1 Pet. 2. ult and the sick and the broken they are his sheep his charge his Diocese as Ezekiel hath it Chap. 34. 16. And to tend such as these he looks for ever upon it as his duty as his owne expression upon the like occasion importeth in Iohn 10. 16. Other sheep I have sayes Christ them I must bring c. Observe how he puts a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an I must upon it looking at it as his duty strictly laid upon him by his place of being a Shepheard And the proper duty of his place being to shew mercy he doth it with cheerfulnesse as the Apostle speaks For Mercie makes one doe what they doe with cheerfulnesse And Christ as he is the Bishop so the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Deacon also for he beares all offices to his Church as of the circumcision so of the uncircumcision also so he is called Rom. 15. 8. And these offices of High-Priest Shepheard Bishop c. he hath still in heaven for he continues a Priest for ever Heb. 7. 24. Now therefore to conclude this Head Never feare that Christs great advancement in heaven should any whit alter his disposition for this his very advancement engageth him the more For although he be entred into the heavens yet consider withall that it is here added to be an High-Priest there and so long feare not for his place it selfe will call for mercie from him unto them that treat with him about it And although in the heavens he be advanced far above all principalities and powers yet still his High-Priesthood goes with him and accompanies him For such an High-Priest became us as was higher then the heavens Heb. 7. 26. And further though he sits at Gods right hand and on his Fathers Throne yet that Throne it is a Throne of grace as the Text hath it upon which he sits And as the Mercie-seat in the Type was the farthest and highest thing in the Holy of Holies so the Throne of grace which is an infinite encouragement unto us is the highest seat in heaven So that if Christ will have and keep the greatest place in heaven the highest preferment that heaven it selfe can bestow upon him it engageth him unto grace and mercy The highest honour there hath this Attribute of Grace annexed to it in its very title A Throne of Grace And as Solomon sayes A Kings Throne is established by righteousnesse it continues firme by it so is Christs Throne by Grace Grace was both the first founder of his Throne or his raiser to it and also it is the establisher of it First it is the founder of it For the reason why God did set him up in that place was because he had more grace and mercy in his heart then all the creatures had or could be capable of All Favourites are usually raised for something that is eminent in them either beauty pleasantnesse of wit State-policie or the like Now if you aske what moved God to advance Christ to this high Throne it was his grace So Psal 45. 3. Grace is poured into thy lips and so dwels much more in his heart Therefore God hath blessed thee so it followes namely with all those glories in heaven which are Gods blessing to his Sonne And then secondly Grace is the upholder of his Throne so ver 4. of the aforesaid Psal 45. In thy majesty prosper thou as well because of meeknesse as of righteousnesse and also because of Truth that is the word of truth the Gospel of our salvation as Paul exegetically expoundeth it Ephes 1. 13. These are the pillars and supporters of his throne and majesty And there are two of them you see that are of grace meeknesse and the Gospel of our salvation unto one of justice or righteousnesse and yet that one is for us too And these establish Christs Throne So it followes verse 6. Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever And you know who applies this unto Christ Heb. 1. 8. Feare not then when as meeknesse supports his majesty and grace his throne and when as he holds his place by shewing these And thus much from that office that is laid upon Christ as he is a Priest A fourth engagement which added to the former may mightily help our faith in this is his owne Interest both in that our salvation is the purchase of his bloud and also that his owne joy comfort happinesse and glory are encreased and enlarged by his shewing grace and mercy in pardoning relieving and comforting his members here on earth under all their infirmities So that besides the obligation of an office undertaken by him for us there is the addition of a mighty interest of his owne coincident therewith to fixe his heart unto faithfulnesse for us in all that doth concern us We see that Advocates and Atturneys who plead for others although that they have no share in the estate for which they plead no title to or interest therein yet when they have undertaken a Clients cause if honest how diligent will they be to promote and carry it for that their Client simply because it is their office and the duty of their place and yet they have but a very small Fee given them in comparison of that estate which oft times they follow suit about How much more would their diligence be whetted if the Lands and Estates they sue for were their own or a purchase of theirs for their wives joynture or childrens portions Now such is the pardoning of our sins the salvation of