Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	divine_a	faith_n	4,548	5	5.6243	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B00698	A fountain sealed: or, The duty of the sealed to the Spirit, and the worke of the Spirit in sealing. Wherein many things are handled about the Holy Spirit, and grieving of it: as also of assurance and sealing what it is, the priviledges and degrees of it, with the signes to discerne, and means to preserve it. : Being the substance of divers sermons preached at Grayes Inne. / By that Reverend Divine, Richard Sibbes D.D. and sometimes preacher to that honourable society.	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Nye, Philip, 1596?-1672.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650.	1638 (1638)	STC 22496; ESTC S123290	62,552	276

indeavours with increase of comfort A Christian that takes paines with his heart and will not serve God with that which cost him nothing enjoyes that which the spirituall sluggard wishes for and goes without God is so just that those men which have striven to live according to principles of nature have found contentment proportionable to their indeavours some degree of pleasure attends every good action as a reward before a reward 2 What accompanieth c. Besides these things that goe before this joy and testimony there are secondly some things that doe accompany it if it bee right as 1 This spirituall comfort inlargeth our hearts to a desire after an high prizing the ordinances so farre is it from taking us off from a dependance upon them In the Word and other meanes it found comfort from GOD therefore delights to be meeting GOD still in his owne wayes The eye of the soule is strengthened to see further into truths and is inabled more spiritually to understand the things it knew before as in many of the same truths that wise men understand they understood them when they were young as when they were old but then more clearely So all truths are more clearely knowne by this the Spirit by which wee are sealed is the Spirit of illumination not that it reveales any thing different from the Word but giveth a more large understanding and inward knowledge of the same truths as were knowne before 2 A libertie and boldnesse with GOD for where the Spirit is there is a gracious liberty that is further inlargements from the law guilt of sinne and the feare of the wrath of GOD that wee can come with so me boldnesse to his throne and to him as our Father a freedome to open our soules in prayer before him This stands not so much in multitude of words or formes of expressions but a sonne-like boldnesse in our approaches in prayer The Hypocrite especially in extremity cannot pray his Conscience stoppes his mouth but where the Spirit sealeth it giveth this liberty freely to open and spread our case before him and call upon him yea under the evidence of some displeasure 3 There doth likewise ordinarily accompany this sealing of the Spirit Sathans malice and opposition who being cast from heaven himselfe envies this H●aven upon earth in a creature of meaner ranke by crea ion then himselfe wee must not thinke to enjoy pure joy here without molestation If there bee danger of exalting above measure wee must looke for some messenger of Sathan 3 What followeth after th●s witnessing of the Spirit After this witnesse it leaves the soule more humble none more abased in themselves then those that have neerest communion with God as wee see in the Angels that stand before God and cover their faces so Isa 6. Iob after God had manifested himselfe unto him abhorred himselfe in dust and ashes It brings with it a greater desire of sanctification and heavenly-mindednesse As Elias ascended up into heaven his cloake fell by degrees from him the higher our spirits are raised the more wee put off affections to earthly things 2 Againe the end of this further manifestation of the Spirit being incouragement to dutie or suffering in a good cause the soule by this witnesse of the Spirit findes increase of spirituall mettle it findes it selfe steeled against opposition Whilest this winde filleth their sayles they are carried on a maine and are frighted with nothing that stands in their way See how the beleevers triumph upon the Spirits witnessing to their spirits that they are the sonnes of God Rom. 8. GOD usually reserveth such comforts for the worst times Pro. 32.6 Give wine to those that be of heavy hearts Proverbs 31. The sence of this love of Christ is better then wine This refreshing Paul had in the dungeon and he sung at mid-night After this witnessing therefore looke for some piece of service to doe or tryall to undergoe Much must bee left to GODS fatherly wisedome in this who knowes whom to cheare up and when and in what degree and to what purpose and service and remember alwayes that these inlargements of spirit are as occasionall refreshings in the way not daily food to live upon we maintaine our life by faith not by sight or feeling Feasting is not for every day except that Feast of a good conscience which is continuall but I speake of grand dayes and high feasts these are disposed as GOD seeth cause 3 Where this sealing of the Spirit is there followeth also upon it a lifting up of the head in thinking of our latter end it makes one thinke of the times to come with joy as the holy Ghost here mentioneth the day of redemption as a motive to them to take heed that they did not grieve the Spirit intimating they should thinke of the day of redemption with a great deale of joy and comfort The Saints are described in Scripture to be those that looke for the appearing of Christ they are Christs and in him their reckonings and accounts are even And therefore with delight they can often think and meditate upon the blessed times that are to come There be divers degrees of sealing arising from divers degrees of revelation God first reveales his good will in his promises to all beleevers this is the priviledge of the Church especially in these latter times then by his Spirit reveales those saving truths to those that are his by a divine light So that by argument drawne from the power they feele from truths in searching secrets in casting downe in raising up in staying the soule they can seale to them that they are divine The same Spirit that reveales the power of the Word to mee reveales in particular mine owne interest in all those truths upon hearing them Whereupon they are written in my heart as if they had beene made in particular to me the comfortable truths in the Word are transcribed into my heart answerable to the Word as that GOD in Christ is mine forgivenesse mine grace mine whereupon adoption in Christ is sealed which God still sealeth further to my soule by increase of comfort as hee seeth cause for incouragement The same Spirit that manifesteth in me the word I heare and reade to bee the truth of God from the power and efficacie of it the same Spirit teacheth to apply it and in applying of it sealeth me Therefore wee ought to desire to bee sealed by the Spirit in regard of an holy impression and then that the holy Spirit would shine upon his owne graces so as wee may clearly see what is wrought in us above nature and because this is furthered by revealing his love in Christ in adoption to us wee must desire of GOD to vouchsafe the Spirit of Revelation to reveale the mysteries of his truth unto us and our portion in them in particular and so our adoption and in the meane time to wait and attend his good pleasure in the use of

his Fathers will Him hath the Father sealed Ioh. 6.27 anointing him calling him setting him forth sanctifying him by the spirit and every way fitting him with all grace to be a Saviour 2 He was sealed by the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelling in flesh abased and exalted for us so his flesh is the flesh of the Son of God and his bloud the bloud of God 3 Sealed by a testimony from heaven of all three Persons by the Father Act. 20.28 This is my welbeloved Son by the Holy Spirit descending like a dove by himself to his humane nature dwelling in all fulnesse in it Christ is sealed by miracles done upon him by him by his baptizing and installing into his office and by giving himself up to shed his bloud for sinne by which bloud the Covenant is established and sealed In being justified in the spirit being raised from the dead Rom. 1 4. and declared thereby to be the Sonne of God mightily with power and then advanced him to the right hand of God that through him our faith and trust might bee in God 1 Peter 1.14 and appearing there for ever for us sheweth not onely his habilitie and willingnesse to save us but that it is done already Wee any see all what ever we can looke for to our selves performed in our head to our comfort 2 Christians are sealed As Christ was sealed and fitted for us so we are sealed and fitted for Christ There is a privy seale in predestination this is knowne onely to God himselfe The Lord knoweth who are his And this knowledge of God of us is carried secret Simile as a River under ground untill his calling of and separating us from the rest of men When first by his Spirit hee convinceth us of what wee are in our selves and of our cursed condition and thereby layeth us low by sorrow and humiliation for finne as the greatest evill And then a pardon is more to us then a Crowne then we will wait for mercy and continue so and begge for mercy and that upon Christs own condition by denying and renouncing any thing of our owne then Christ is Christ unto us Indeed after this it pleaseth Christ by his Spirit to open a doore of hope and give some hints of mercy of love and withall to raise up the soule by a spirit of Faith to close with particular mercy opened and offered by the Spirit whereby the soule sealeth to the truth of the promise Ioh. 3. Hee that beleeveth hath set to his seale that God is true It is strange that GOD should stoope so low as to receive as it were confirmation by our beliefe but thus GOD condescends in the phrase of Scripture As wee are said to helpe God curse yee Meroz because they came not to helpe the Lord c. God stoopes to be helped by us and to have his truth and power and goodnesse ratified and confirmed by us when we beleeve the promise of God in Christ though it bee by the helpe of the Spirit wee seale Gods truth And then God honoureth that sealing of ours by the sealing of his Spirit After you beleeved you were sealed saith the Apostle that is the gracious love of Christ was further confirmed to them GOD honours no grace so much as Faiths Why because it honours God most of all others it gives GOD the honour of his mercy and goodnesse and wisedome and power and of his truth especially hee that beleeves in God by beleeving seales that God is true and God honours that soule againe by sealing it to the day of redemption God hath promised Those that honour mee I will honour Therefore Hee that beleeveth hath the witnesse in himselfe that grace promised belongeth to him for hee carries in his heart the counterpaine of the promises hee that confesseth and beleeveth shall have mercie I beleeve saith the soule therefore the promise belongs to mee my faith answering Gods love in the promise witnesseth so much to mee The Spirit not onely revealeth Christ and the promises in generall but in attending upon the ordinances by an heavenly light the spirit discovers to us our interest in particular and saith to the soule God is thy salvation and inableth the soule to say I am Gods I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine Christ loved mee and gave himselfe for mee Whence came this voyce of Saint Paul It was the still voyce of the Spirit of GOD that together with the generall truth in the Gospell discovered in particular Christs love to him It is not a generall faith that will bring to heaven but there is a speciall worke of the Spirit in the use of means discovering and sealing the good will of God to us that hee intends good unto us and thereupon our hearts are perswaded to beleeve in God and to love God as our God and Christ as our Christ This is excellently set downe in the sweet communion of marriage the Spirit is the paranymphos the procurer of the marriage betweene Christ and the soule Now it is not sufficient to know that God and Christ beare good will to all beleevers though that be the ground and generall foundation of all and a great preparative to the speciall sealing of the Spirit but then the Spirit comes and saith Christ hath a speciall good will to me and stirres up in mee a liking to him againe to take him upon his owne conditions with conflict of corruptions with the scornes of the world c. Whereupon the mutuall marriage is made up betweene Christ and us this worke is the sealing of the Spirit Many are the priviledges of a Christian from this his sealing as the use of a seale in mans affaires is manifold 1 Seales serve for conformation and allowance 1 For conformation to that purpose measures are sealed God is said to seale instruction Iob 33.16 Confirmation is either by giving strength or by the authority of suck as are able to make good what they promise also willing which they shew by putting to their seale which hath as much strength to confirme him to whom the promise is made as he hath will and power to make it good that hath ingaged himselfe Amongst men there is the writing and the seale to the writing when the seale is added to the writing there is a perfect ratification So there are abundance of gracious promises in the Scriptures now when the Spirit comes and seals them to the soule then they are sure to us the Spirit puts the seale to the promises 2 2 Distinction The use of it likewise is for distinction from others that carry not that mark So the sealing of the Spirit distinguisheth a Christian from all other men There is a distinction betweene men in Gods eternall purpose but that concerns not us to meddle with further then to know it in generall 1 Tim. 2. God knoweth who are his and who are not his 〈◊〉 but in time the

are under the spirit of adoption and doe many things well but yet are not altogether free from feare these are like those children that are moved with reverence to obey their Parents and yet finde their commands somewhat irkesome unto them The third are ●●●h as by the love of God shed into the●● hearts by the Spirit of adoption are carried with large Spirits to obey their father and herein like unto those children that not onely obey but take a delight in it upon a judgement that both obedience and the thing wherein they obey is good this wee ought to labour for but wee finde many Christians in the second ranke many truely beleeve in Christ by some light let into their hearts by the Spirit of adoption who are not yet fully assured of the love of Christ There is the act of faith and the fruit of Faith the act of faith is to cast our selves upon Gods mercy in Christ the fruit of faith is in beleeving to bee assured of this wee must know that faith is one thing assurance another they may have faith and yet want a double assurance first assurance of their faith being not able to judge at all times of their owne act likewise secondly assurance of their state in grace as in time of desertion and temptation a soule at such a time casts it selfe upon Christ as knowing comfort is there to be had though hee bee not sure of it for himselfe and this the soule doth out of obedience though not out of feeling as the poore man in the Gospell Lord I beleeve helpe my unbeliefe the soule often times out of the deepe cryes and in the darke trusts in GOD and this is the bold adventure of faith the first object whereof is Christ held out in a promise and not assurance which springeth from the first act when it pleaseth God to shine upon the soule and is a reward of glorifying Gods mercy in Christ by casting the soule upon his truth and goodnesse Assurance is GODS seale faith is our seale when wee set to our seale by beleeving hee sets to his seale assuring us of our condition we yeeld first the consent and the assent of faith and then God puts his seale to the contract there must be a good title before a confirmation a planting before a rooting and establishing the bargaine before the earnest Some would have Faith to bee an over-powring light of the soule whereby undoubtedly they beleeve themselves to bee Christ and Christ to be theirs which stumbleth many a weake yet true Christian for this is rather the fruit of a strong Faith then the act of a weake which struggleth with doubting untill it hath gotten the upper hand True it is there must bee so much light let in to the soule as the soule may rely upon Christ and this light must bee discovered by the Spirit and such a light as shewes a speciall love of Christ to the soule And againe it is true that wee are not to take up our rest in the light untill the heart be further subdued as many are too hasty to conclude of a good condition upon uncertaine signes before they have attained unto fuller assurance but yet wee must not deny faith where this strong assurance is wanting so farre as to conclude against our selves if there be desires putting on to endeavour with conflict against the rising of unbeliefe with a high prising of the favour of God in Christ so as to value it above all things Degrees doe not varie the kinde weakenesse may stand with truth but where truth is there will be an uncessant desire of future sealing The second conclusion The second conclusion We may upon the knowledge of our present estate in grace bee assured for the time to come for this sealing is to the day of Redemption that is till wee be put into full possession of what we now beleeve and besides sealing is for securing for the time to come and our Saviours promise is that though He departed from them yet the Comforter should abide with them for ever Iohn 14. And why are wee certaine of the favour of God to our comfort for the present but that wee doubt not of it for the time to come Faith and love and these graces they never faile finally therefore when the Scripture speakes of Faith it speakes of salvation by it for the present as if a man should bee in heaven presently so soone as hee beleeves Wee are saved by faith say the Scriptures we are not yet saved but the meaning is wee are set by faith into a state of salvation Being put into Christ by Faith we are risen with Christ and sit in heavenly places with him Col. 2. Faith makes the things to come present and Faith beleeves that neither things present nor things to come Rom. 8. shall bee able to separate us from the love of God in Christ So that our assurance is not onely for the present but for the time to come We are sealed to the day of Redemption and who can reverse Gods seale or Gods act deed Grace is the earnest penny of glory God hath made a covenant and given earnest hee will not lose it the earnest is never taken away but filled up if we be assured of grace for the present wee may bee sure it shall bee made up full in glory hereafter If the spirit of Christ bee in us the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead will raise us up likewise Rom. 8.11 and not leave us untill wee bee in full redemption wee shall walke filled with his image Psal No opposition shall prevaile God hath set us as a seale on his right hand to keep us I and on his breast as the high Priest had the twelve Tribes to love us and on his shoulder to support us The marked and sealed ones in Ezech. 9. and Rev. 7. were secured from all destruction If we be in Christ our Rocke temptations and oppositions are but as waves they may dash upon us but they breake themselves Quest Why then doe we pray for the forgivenesse of sinnes Why wee pray for forgivenesse of sinnes Answer Wee pray for a clearer evidence of what wee have secondly as the end is ordained so the meanes must be used God doth and will pardon sinne and therefore we must pray for pardon as a meanes ordained Thirdly prayer doth not prejudice the certainty of a thing Christ prayeth for that hee was most sure of Iohn 17. I pray for them which thou hast given me for they are thine Pregnant for the proofe of this point 1 Pet. 1.3 4 5. is that of Peter Wee are begotten againe to a lively hope a hope of that life which maketh lively Oh but wee are weake true but wee are kept by the power of GOD an inheritance is not onely kept for us but we are kept for it Ob. But Sathan is strong and his malice is more