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A12209 Two sermons: preached by that faithfull and reverend divine, Richard Sibbes, D.D. and sometimes preacher to the honorable society of Grayes Inne; and master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635. 1639 (1639) STC 22520; ESTC S114825 20,880 93

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consider what this thing is that wee must seek for Briefly in short it is Christ Iesus the joy of all hearts in whom are hid all the treasures of knowledge and wisedome Him we seeke in capite and together with him all those things which are above and whatsoever tends to true blessednesse And indeede all the excellency which wee have or can hope to have is from above Our full happinesse and glorious inheritance is kept for us in the Heavens All our priviledges are from above our kingdome is in heaven and qualification for this happy estate spoken of there Our holinesse and heavenly mindednesse is from above fulnesse of grace is from thence and all graces that lead to perfection are there Power to enable us to any holy duty is from above yea the meanes are from above as the ordinances the word and Sacraments To summe up all thus much the words import seeke for a nearer communion with Christ for a further assurance of heaven for a further qualification for heaven and so as you may bee more and more in heaven while you are below on the earth by enjoying through faith your heavenly priviledges prerogatives and excellencies seeke for further increase of holinesse for a greater measure of grace and for grace to bring you to the fruition of whatsoever is from above And here attend upon the Word of God upon the Sacraments upon holy conferences where Christ is present in a speciall manner and by holy actions seeke for glory in the use of the meanes Reach not too high nor above your pitch which is arrogancy pride and high mindednesse but seeke for heavenly things by heavenly meanes and in humble manner Againe where wee must seeke the things above because wee are risen with Christ the Resurrection of Christ being an article and ground of Religion wee learne That heavenly duties have their spring from the articles and grounds of Religion The reason is The ground of our faith is the cause of holy duties and therefore corrupt in faith corrupt in obedience in that degree Evill opinions breed an evill life and a sound understanding an holy conversation The use is to admonish us to labour to understand the maine grounds of Religion with like labour to digest them So as to see the truth of them in the regularitie of our lives And here labour with God by prayer to write them in your hearts with the pen of his holy Spirit Againe in that the Apostle willeth them to seeke heavenly graces and that because they are risen with Christ note further this inference That as a Christian ought to be heavenly minded that is minded to seeke heaven ly graces so hee must doe it for this reason viz. because hee is in an estate fitting for it Therefore let none say he cannot for outward troubles or businesse unlesse he will deny himselfe to be a Christian by denying to have any leasure for holy businesse He that will bee a Christian must pretend to no impossibilities this way For art thou risen with Christ then thou must finde time to seeke those things that are above and to bee heavenly minded A Christian that is risen with Christ will God here doth not as Pharoah bid us to doe our worke and to gather the straw our selves but he bids us doe upon a power given us and by quickning us with his Spirit and enabling us to doe what he requireth to be done He fits us for such actions as hee taskes us unto and gives us the power of doeing them Againe so farre as a Christian is raised by Christ so farre hee cannot but seeke those things that are above Wee neede not teach a bird to fly for shee is taught of her nature so to doe flight is naturall to her So a Christian cannot but doe the things answerable to his Christian nature Hee is of a new nature and therefore cannot but bee heavenly minded hee cannot prophane the Lords day hee cannot sweare hee cannot lye hee cannot blaspheme he cannot delight in carnall courses he cannot doe these things so farre as hee is a Christian. And it is in this sense that the Apostle saith He that is borne of God sinneth not that is so farre as he is borne againe Againe as hee is a Christian hee may doe it and ought to doe it and cannot but doe it But I adde further and for a further point Hee glories in it To bee heavenly minded and exercised in spirituall duties is his happinesse and his joy Hee is never so well never so much himselfe as when he is most possessed of a heavenly mindednesse most frequent or not often exercised in spirituall duties so farre forth as hee is a Christian and enlarged by the Spirit of Christ so far forth he glories in holy actions in heavenly mindednesse Is this in all true Christians if such what then may we thinke of the most part of the world that professe religion but from the teeth outward Surely they are still in the grave of old nature they are not risen with Christ. Such is the ambitious man the covetous man the voluptuous man for they savour not the things that are above the truth is they have no new nature in them for if they had it would lead them higher then these underfoot things or things below They that live in the defilements of the flesh shew too well that they have none of this new mould in them for if they had they would get strength against them at least they would have a continuall conflict and wrastling in themselves to overcome them Another use may bee for tryall of thy estate and here see what power there is of the Spirit of God in thee to make thee heavenly minded to joy in things hat are above more then in all the world againe If thou finde this power in thee then thou art a Christian indeede thou canst then speake by experience what is the worke of the Spirit and thou knowest well what is the vertue of the Resurrection of Christ. Then thou canst say with Saint Paul that thou art still striving to finde the vertue of Christ more and more in thee to make thy selfe more fully assured of thy part in Christ and to finde the power of his Spirit mastering the power of corruption in thee in an excellent degree Let us therefore labour for this power for this is to seeke the things that are above and here let us labour to finde the want of it and to greeve that wee have not so much of it as we have neede of And further let us labour to know the excellency of this power esteeming more of it then of any power else and better then of all powers of darkenesse in this flattering world for when all other things leave us the things above will comfort us and for our comfort goe with us Let us therefore labour to see some hope of growing in them Thou hast a promise using the meanes to attaine unto them for the same Spirit is set over by assurance unto thee that raised up Christ from the dead use therefore all sanctified meanes for the attaining of these spirituall good things use heavenly wayes for thy way to heavenly things attend upon the ordinances of God labour with him in prayer to make thee such a one as hee may delight in and fit thee for that estate that he hath provided for thee Labour to encrease in vertuous actions and fly all contrary courses as worldly mindednesse and the pleasures of this present world Beware that none of these draw away thy heart and with it thy selfe from an earnest seeking of heavenly things so as thou shouldst We are all seekers wee are a generation of seekers as the Psalmist saith We seeke while wee are here our possession is hereafter Labour therefore to see the want of heavenly graces and to esteeme of them aright and to see hope to attaine them and hope to attaine them and use the meanes and avoid all contrary courses Doing thus you shall finde the vertue of Christs Resurrection raising you up more and more to seeke after heaven and heavenly things even those things that are above FINIS Loquitur ad modum nostrum agit ad modum suum Augustin 1. Doct. Generall 1 Cor. 3. 21. Hos 2. 19. c. Vse Twofold First of comfort Object Sol. 1 Pet. 3. 6. Doct. Vse 1. Vse 2. Cant. 2 16. a Rom. 16. 16. b 2 Sam. 20 10. c Mat. 26. 49. 1 Cor. 16. 20 c. d 1 Sam. 20 41. e Psal. 2. 12. a Gen. 3. 15. b Gen. 12. 3 c Gen. 49. 10. Heb. 7. 14. Rom. 5. 5. d Esa. 7. 14. e Ioh. 1. 29. Esa. 64. 1. Doct. 1. Doct. 2. Doct. 1. Gen. 24. Rea. 1. Reas. 2. Reas. 3. Reas. 4. Use. Doct. 2. Reas. 1. Reas. 2. Mat. 28. 18 Vse 1. Psal. 37. 4. Use 2. 2 Cor. 11. 2. Iam. 4. 4. 3. Gen. 32. 10. 4. Luk. 7. 47. Mat. 15. 22. Gen. 32. 24 Psal. 37. 4. 6. Luk. 23. 42. Object Sol. 1. 2. 3. 7. Psal. 23 4. Use. 3. Coherence Non solum mortuae sed mortifera Divis. 2. Parts Doct From the first part 1. 2. Doct. 1. F id●ia Christiana Tertullian deresurrect cap. 1. Doct. 2. Doct. 3. Vse 1. Use 2. Vse 3. Rom. 6. Doct. Generall Tanquam picis in arido Col. 3. 11. Use 1. Use. 2. Expl. 1. What is meant by seeking 2. 3. 4. 5. 2. What we must seeke Vse Doct. 2. Vse Doct. 3. 1 Ioh. 3. 9. Doct. 4. Vse 1. Psal. 3. 9. 10. Psal. 2 4.
infinite desire to a further and still further taste of his love and of a nearer communion with him And so whether we regard the nature of love which is never satisfied or whether wee consider Christs infinite riches manifest in his truth there must be an in satiable mind of desire in a Christian to bee further filled with and more fully assured of the love of Christ. Where grace is there is a further desire of growing in grace and it is an higher degree of love to desire an enjoying of the presence of Christ then to desire to enjoy heaven it selfe which cannot be yet Therefore here let us try our love by our labouring for that sight of Christ w ch we may have of him in this life below and here lot us desire often and much to see him in his ordinances where hee manifests himselfe in a speciall manner Therefore I say art thou sicke and in prison or so lame of thy limbes that thon canst not come to the assembly and is it therefore thy greatest trouble and the great greefe of thy soule that thou art thus shut out from the presence of Christ and the Angells in his ordinances and from the congregation of the Saints where he by familiar kisses useth to manifest his love to thee and to them and if so it is well But here I cannot but wonder how some persons dare to take upon them the name of Christianitie and yet thinke the men too holy and the course too strict that lookes that way Surely such want the true Character of a right Christian which is to have a further and further desire of the manifestation of Christs love Many of these neglect the ordinances of God or if they come where they may bee had never desire by them a further increase as it were the inward kisses of Christs mouth but content themselves with the outward even the barke of those ordinances When the Spirit should witnesse and seale up this love the love of Christ to their soules by an inward kisse they content themselves with the outward the bare hearing of the word But mark what I say where this further desire of familiaritie with Christ is not there is but a barren soile and soule of a Christian there is no true taste of Christs love for if there were there would be a further desire of growth in that affection There are some that make a faire profession like unto many that marry to cloake their adultery for so such professe Christ to cover their strong covetousnesse and other strong faults that they may have more libertie to commit sin But Christians truly religious must not content themselves with outwardnesse in these kisses but give as the outward man so the sacrifice of the inwaid the soule unto God Let those that finde after such tryall these desires springing up in them comfort themselves in this that they are Christs and that Christ will manifest his love more and more unto them For he hath promised to grant the desires of the righteous Hast thou then a longing desire to have a further taste of the love of Christ Vse the meanes conscionably and then be sure that Christ this Ioseph will open himselfe further and further unto thee and thy soule shall know it This for one use Another is for exhortation and spirituall direction as how wee shall come to a further assurance signe and fruit of this love of Christ. My beloved if we desire it wee must labour to have first chast judgements and secondly chast affections A chast judgement from errour heresie and schisme and affections chast from the world from pleasures and the like for Christ is wonderfull jealous both of our judgements and of our love Therefore Paul desires to present the Corinths a pure Virgin unto Christ. And further as we must affect goodnesse so wee must professe truth wee must have chast judgements as well as chast affections the Spouse of Christ as shee is pure in affections so shee is is pure in judgement shee heares his voyce and followes him Whatsoever comes not from the Word she receives not but rejects it And as her judgement is right set so her affections are pure and holy Now therefore labour for these that is for chast affections Christ will not have us to divide our affections some for him and some for the world or partly for pleasures and partly for him no hee will not have it so for a fire divided hath lesse heat Hee will have the whole heart and the whole of our affections or he will have neither heart nor affection If wee give our hearts to the world or to the pleasures of the world the love of which is enmity with God then have wee an adulterous heart which to doe is a double sinne as it is for a wife to commit whoredome for in her whoredome there is a breach of chastitie and breach of the marriage band And indeed to embrace the world after we are contracted unto Christ what is it lesse then whoredome and a breach of covenant in our spirituall contract with Christ therefore beware of worldly-mindednesse which as glew will tie all thy affections so fast to the earth that thou shalt not be able to lift any to Christ. Take heede of the pleasures of the world least they drowne thy soule in perdition and destruction as the Apostle saith 1 Tim. 6. 9. for many soules hath this Sea covered even of those that have professed with the best and have gone for good Christians But thirdly if wee will grow in the assurance of the love of Christ and have more familiar kisses of his mouth then labour we to get an humble heart by searching out our owne great unworthinesse in respect of what wee are or were by nature Indeed we may disparage our credits by abasing our selves in respect of men but never can wee be too much humbled to our Saviour in acknowledging our selves unworthy of all that wee have There is no danger in debasing our selves to our Saviour nay 't is for our greater honour with God for those that thus honour him hee will honour and grace with his blessings who giveth grace to the humble In such a Spirit he delights to dwell as a man at home Esay 66. 3. Let us with all humilitie then acknowledge all to bee from his free grace and with Iacob that we our selves are lesse then the least of his mercies Againe fourthly if wee will grow in the assurance of the love of Christ let us give Christ no peace nor take any nay of him till hee hath given us the sweet kisses of his love Many times he delayes the manifesting of his love but what though yet waite thou his pleasure he hath waited long upon thee We see Mary Magdalen what a doe shee made when shee could not finde Christ at last he manifested himselfe unto her and called her by her name demanding for