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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	heart_n	spirit_n	word_n	8,255	5	4.2520	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45679	The best match, or, The believer's marriage with Christ a sermon on the parable of the marriage of the king's son, Mat. 22. 1, 2, &c. : preached at Potters Pury in Northamptonshire, September the 29th, 1690 / by Michael Harrison ... ; to which is added four hymns ...	Harrison, Michael, Minister at Potters-Pury.	1691 (1691)	Wing H901; ESTC R14002	28,276	66

for ever And this cannot be better expressed than in the Words of that Learned and Godly Divine Mr. William Pemble in his Book called Vindiciae Gratiae For the habit of Grace in the Regenerate we affirm that it is constant abiding for ever in them in whom it is once planted so that he that is once converted cannot so shake off the Grace of his first as to need a second Conversion and a Sinner once raised from Death unto Christ through the infusion of spiritual Life he dies no more but lives for ever to the Glory of God As appears from that of the Apostle 1 Pet. 1.2 3. What is this Seed by which we are born again 't is not the Word either alone or principally considered because that is the Instrument no it 's by the power of the Spirit without which the Word is but a dead Sound So then this Seed is the Power or Vertue of the Holy Ghost But why is this Seed called incorruptible in respect of itself it is so but it 's so stiled in this place in respect of the effect it produces quatenus Semen it produceth Fruit like it self incorruptible and immortal We are not born of corruptible Seed for that perisheth and what is born of it but of incorruptible that lives and endures for ever and so what ever is born of it is immortal this quickning Power of the Spirit lives for ever not only in it self but in us also therefore a Soul once in Christ by renewing Grace can never finally fall away 3. Others say That the Apostle speaks here only by way of Supposition If these fall away it 's impossible to renew them c. but they can never fall away But 4. Others say These were but the common workings of the Spirit upon the Hearts of Hypocrites and these come nearest to the Sense and it must be confest Hypocrites may go a great way in Religion and have even some Taste and Relish of the Things of God in their Spirits as appears in the Stony-ground-Hearers take heed Reader thou beest not an Hypocrite Mat. 13.20 they are said to receive the Word with Joy and yet not any saving Grace in their Souls But 5. Others expound this Scripture of those extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit Christians had in the Apostles days such as the Gift of Healing speaking with Tongues c. These extraordinary Gifts were from the Spirit And no doubt such as had any of these miraculous Gifts were much pleased and delighted with them and many that had them perished as may appear from comparing these Scriptures Mat. 7.21 22 23 24. Gal. 3.3 4. And this I humbly conceive to be the Sense of this Scripture O it 's dreadful to sin against Light against Convictions to live under a Gospel-Ministry and get no good by it But now these excepted Jesus Christ is offered to all in the visible Church and all are freely invited to come in as in the Text. Now these free and general Offers see in these two Scriptures Isa 55.1 2 3. Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the Waters and he that hath no Mony come ye buy and eat yea come buy Wine and Milk without Mony and without Price c. and Rev. 22.17 The Spirit saith Come and the Bride saith Come and whoever is athirst and will let him come and take of the Water of Life freely 5thly But in a peculiar manner tho Jesus Christ be offered in general to all yet he is particularly offered to such as are wounded and afflicted in Soul for Sin and these alone are the Persons that will welcome a Saviour Luke 5.31 32. The whole need not a Physician but those that are sick 't is the wounded Soul that needs a Plaister the sick Soul that needs a Physician the Prisoner that needs a Redeemer the lost Sinner that needs a Saviour Now if there be in this Congregation any trembling bleeding wounded Spirits that are with the Jaylor crying What shall I do to be saved O ten thousand Worlds if I had them for a Christ c. To such is the Word of this Salvation sent Poor Soul here 's a Christ for thee be of good chear arise he calls thee hear what he saith unto thee Mat. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Thirdly What is it to come to Christ to believe in Christ to receive and accept him upon Gospel-Terms This coming to Christ 't is not a meer dogmatical and opinionative Faith a meer Perswasion of the truth of Scripture to believe the Articles of your Creed and profess your selves Christians this is very common but this coming to and believing in Christ it is a saving Grace wrought in the Hearts of Persons by the Word and Spirit of God whereby being awakened to see their Sin and Misery that Hell and Wrath due to them for Sin they despair in themselves and all other Creatures and speedily fly from their Sins and themselves to Jesus Christ resting on him alone for Justification Pardon and Eternal Life This is coming to Christ and not a Person under Heaven that hath not such a particular Faith as is here described did ever yet come to Christ 1. You have here the nature of it it is a saving Grace i. e. not what is common to Believers and Unbelievers but peculiar to Believers only there is a common Faith a common Love a common Repentance and common Obedience which Hypocrites may have and there 's a special saving Faith a heavenly new-distinguishing Work of the Holy Spirit on the Heart which is peculiar to a Saint and none but a Saint hath it you have both these expressed in that one Scripture Heb. 10.39 We are not of them which draw back to Perdition but of them which believe to the saving of the Soul Here 's first common Faith Some that draw back i. e. were unsound rotten-hearted Professors who had a common Faith enough to make them profess and own Christ in time of Peace but not enough to go through with their Profession and here 's a saving Faith a belieVing to the saving of the Soul O look to it that your Grace be more than what 's common 2. Here 's the necessary Preparation to it and that is the Heart awakened and humbled and broken for Sin this Brokenness of Heart for Sin it is not Faith nor coming to Christ but it is a necessary Preparative to it an unbroken Heart unhumbled Soul will never come to Christ Luke 5.31 32. The whole need not a Physician but they that are sick 'T is Necessity that drives Men to Christ when they see themselves undone ready to drop into Hell the Law curses them and they are beset on every side like those Acts 2.37 when they were pricked at the Heart then they cried out What shall we do to be saved now ver 38. the Apostle directs them to Christ the Sinner must first despair in himself

a cordial closure with Christ tho some may quarrel the Author hath his End and God shall have the Glory The Believer's Marriage with Christ OR A SERMON On the Parable of the Marriage of the King's Son Mat. 22.2 The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain King which made a Marriage for his Son 3. And sent forth his Servants to call them that were bidden to the Wedding and they would not come 4. Again he sent forth other Servants saying Tell them which are bidden Behold I have prepared my Dinner my Oxen and my Fatlings are killed and all things are ready come unto the Marriage 5. But they made light of it and went their ways one to his Farm another to his Merchandise And so on to the 14th Verse HEre is a Parable spoken by our dear Lord Jesus Christ himself and therefore calls for an hearing Ear and an understanding Heart in every one here present And for our better understanding the Mind of Christ herein let us answer five or six Queries Query 1. What are we to understand by the Kingdom of Heaven Answ There is a threefold Kingdom of Heaven 1. That blessed everlasting Life the Saints shall live in the next World Matth. 5.3 Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven 2. There 's the Kingdom of Grace or the Divine Life in the Hearts of the Elect in whose Hearts Jesus Christ hath set up his Spiritual Kingdom Mat. 13.31 The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a Grain of Mustard-Seed See ver 32. This and the following Parable of the Leaven as a * Pareus in locum Learned Man observes signifies the Power and Divine Efficacy of the Gospel in and on the Hearts of the Elect in the day when they are inwardly renewed by the Spirit 3. The visible Church comprehending both good and bad is sometimes called the Kingdom of Heaven as in the Parable of the Draw-Net Mat. 13.47 The Kingdom of Heaven is like to a Net that was cast into the Sea and gathered of every kind i.e. The visible Church by the Ministry of the Word gathers into it not only such as are truly sanctified but all that visibly own Jesus Christ And in this sense I humbly conceive this Parable of the Marriage is to be understood The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a King c. i. e. The great God of Heaven in calling Men unto and directing them how to attain Eternal Life doth as Kings use to do at Marriage-Feasts who having prepared all things ready send out their Servants to invite the Guests so God hath provided a Gospel-Banquet and sends out the Ministers of his Word to invite Men to come to Christ Query 2. Who is this King Answ The great God of Heaven who did originally contrive the glorious Work of Salvation as appears in these Scriptures Isa 42.1 2 3 4 5 6 7. these are the Father's words to Christ calling him forth to undertake the great Work of Redemption Had not the Father contrived a way of Salvation for lost Sinners our Condition had been for ever hopeless Jesus Christ is the Father's Gift Joh. 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son to die Query 3. Here is a Wedding but who is the Bridegroom the Son here spoken of Answ The Lord Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God who is the Churches Spiritual Bridegroom and as such often spoken of in Holy Scripture Psal 19.5 Which is as a Bridegroom coming out of his Chamber the ancient Fathers understood this of Christ the Rex ille est Deus Pater sponsus est Filius Dei Sponsa pauci electi Nuptiae disponsatio copulatio Ecclesiae cum Christo Pareus in loco Spiritual Bridegroom of the Church * Corpus suum assumptum ex Virgine ipse tanquam sponsus Ecclesiae toties promissus per Prophetas c. Psalterium Paraph. who assumed Human Nature in the Womb of the Virgin thence appeared as the Churches Heavenly Bridegroom in the World and so he is held out to us in the Parable of the ten Virgins Mat. 25.1 2 3 4. as a Heavenly Husband that comes to consummate a Spiritual Marriage with his Church Query 4. But who is the Bride Answ The Church of Christ and especially the Elect. Jer. 3.14 I am married unto you Rev. 19.7 The Marriage of the Lamb is come and his Wife the Church hath made her self ready O the Honour given to a Believer to be married to Jesus Christ Query 5. What is meant by the Feast Answ That glorious Provision God hath made for poor undone Sinners in Christ as Union and Communion with God and Christ all the Benefits purchased by the Death of Christ such as Pardon Justification Sanctification Adoption and the like these are the Heavenly Dishes served up at this Gospel-Feast for Believers to feed upon And it 's very usual in Scripture to represent Heavenly Things by Temporal and particularly by Feasting Isa 25.6 And in this Mountain i. e. Sion the Church and a Type of Heaven shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all People a Feast of fat things a Feast of Wines on the Lees of fat things full of Marrow of Wines on the Lees well refined i. e. In that day that an elect Soul is married to Jesus Christ there 's an Heavenly Banquet in that Heart Rev. 3.20 Behold I stand at the Door and knock if any Man hear my Voice and open to me I will come in and sup with him and he with me Query 6. Who are the Servants sent out to invite the Guests to the Wedding Answ The Servants * Primi Servi fuerunt Patriarchae posteriores Moses Prophetae Pareus in loco are God's Ministers both of the Old and New Testament the first were Patriarchs then Moses and the Prophets and last of all the Apostles and their Successors So I that am now preaching to you am one of these Servants come to invite you to come to Christ the Jews they refused now the Gospel is preached to the Gentiles whose Offspring we are Having thus explained the Parable we come now to the Observation and tho this pregnant Text might afford many yet I shall content my self one which comprehends the very Heart and Marrow of the Text. Doct. God in and by the Gospel freely offers Jesus Christ with all the Banefits of his Death to all that are willing to come to him and receive him upon Gospel-Terms In speaking to this Heavenly Truth I shall endeavour these five things First Shew who it is that makes this Offer to Sinners God the Father Secondly What is offered Jesus Christ Thirdly Wherein is Christ offered viz. in the Gospel Fourthly To whom doth God offer Christ viz. To all that are willing to come to him Fifthly What is it to come to and receive and accept of Christ Q. First Who it is that offers Christ and Salvation to Sinners Ans It is the

before he will come to Christ People cry out against spiritual lively quick preaching but why O this drives People to Despair There 's two sorts of Despair 1. To despair of getting to Heaven in a state of Sin while a Man is unregenerate unsanctified and truly such a Despair as this we do preach I tell you from the Lord Jesus Christ that every one of you living and dying in a Christ-less State you will be as surely damned as if you were in Hell already Joh. 3.3 Except you are born again you cannot see the Kingdom of God 2. There 's another kind of Despair and that is when Men despair of ever obtaining Mercy tho they do repent and leave their Sins We do not preach any such Despair as this But on the contrary do all we can to draw and to encourage Men to come to Christ with an assurance of Pardon Isa 55.7 Let the Wicked forsake his Way and the unrighteous Man his Thoughts and turn to the Lord and he will have Mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon 3. There 's the Instrumental Cause of this blessed Work upon the Soul and that is the Word of God Rom. 10.17 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God If you would be drawn to Christ wait upon a Gospel-Ministry 4. There is the Efficient of this Heavenly Work the blessed and holy Spirit of God Ephes 2.8 Faith is the Gift of God The holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Faith 2 Cor. 4.13 because the Spirit by the Word can draw a Soul to Christ Therefore wait on the Ministry but beg as the Church doth the Drawings of the Spirit Cant. 1.4 Draw me 5. Here is the Terminus à quo or what a Man flies from in the day when he thus comes to Jesus Christ 1. He flies from Sin Now the Wicked forsakes his Way and the unrighteous Man his Thoughts Isa 55.7 Now is the time when a Man hath right Apprehensions of the hellish destructive nature of Sin he sees Sin now to be worse than Plague Famine Sword or any Temporal Evils and therefore flies from it as Lot out of Sodom or the Jews out of Egypt he hastens now as for his Life to cleanse his Hand and his Heart from all Pollution both of Flesh and Spirit now Sin appears what it is in it self he flies from Heart-Sins secret Sins vain Thoughts as well as open Sins Psal 119.113 Psal 139.23 2. He flies from himself Whatever high Thoughts he might have of himself formerly he now sees himself one of the filthiest and loathsomest Creatures under Heaven and this especially in the Vileness of his Heart and Nature by reason of that Fountain of Original Sin and Corruption which is in him he now sees the Plague of his Heart 1 Kings 8.38 And hence he now loaths himself condemns and judges himself in the sight of God Rom. 7.28 O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from this Body of Death 6. Here is the Terminus ad quem that to which the poor awakened Sinner flies and that is to Jesus Christ Indeed Faith in general looks to the whole Word of God and believes whatever is revealed therein to be true upon the Divine Authority of the Word it self yielding hearty Obedience to every Command trembling at the Threatnings Isa 57.15 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 miser ego homo infelix ego homo Montan. Aerumnosus ego homo Beza Ah me miserum quis me liberabit ab hac dira servitute It signifies one that is wearied with troublesome and continual Combats like as a Champion striving a long time is like a last to be overcome 't is the Voice of one breathing after Deliverance Calv. But the principal and especial Act of saving Faith is a receiving Christ and a resting upon him alone for Justification Sanctification and Eternal Life And altho this special Act of Faith as leaning resting hanging upon and trusting in Christ crucified be so much exploded in this corrupt Age by Men of corrupt Minds yet it is and ever will be a sweet and heavenly Truth prized by the Church of Christ more than all the World besides and clearly proved from the holy Word of God Joh. 1.12 As many as received him to them gave he Power to become the Sons of God Cant. 8.5 Who is this that cometh up from the Wilderness leaning upon her Beloved So Ephes 1.13 In whom also ye trusted after that ye believed This leaning trusting resting upon Christ is the proper Act of justifying Faith and it hath three degrees Adherence Recompence Assurance 1. Adherence which singles out Christ and holds him and as it were by the hand of Faith takes him by the hand for the Stay and Support of the Soul The poor Sinner seeing his own Nothingness he flies to Christ hangs on him cleaves to him looks to him in every Strait when he has no-whither else to look nor none else to trust to 2 Chron. 20.12 We know not what to do but our Eyes are unto thee 2. Recombence which is an acquiescence on Christ the Soul resolves to rest upon Christ let the Issue be what it will as Job Chap. 13.15 Tho he slay me yet will I trust in him Or as Hester Ch. 4.16 I will go in unto the King and if I perish I perish So saith the Believer I will hang upon Christ's Skirts believe in him follow after him if I perish I perish tho he frown upon me I will not leave him tho he kill me yet will I trust in him Psal 37.5 Commit thy way unto the Lord wait patiently for him and he will bring it to pass 3d. Degree of Faith is the Faith of Assurance this is rare and but few Christians have it When the Spirit of God so shines in upon his own Work in the Soul as to inable a Christian to speak triumphingly with the Church Cant. 2.16 My Beloved is mine and I am his Or with the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.1 We know that when this Earthly House is dissolved we have an House in Heaven Now poor complaining Soul thou hast not this Faith of Assurance yet if thou hast the Faith of Adherence and Recombence thy case is good Assurance is not essential to justifying Faith APPLICATION Is this so that God thus freely offers Jesus Christ to all that are willing to come to him then we shall make a fivefold Use of this Truth A Use of 1. Information 2. Examination 3. Exhortation 4. Direction 5. Consolation I. Vse shall be of Information in six things 1. If this be so then this informs us of the desperate Madness and Folly of the greatest part of Men in the World who wilfully reject Jesus Christ thus freely offered in the Gospel Should you see a poor Maid begging her Bread from Door to Door cloathed in nasty Rags and ready to perish with Hunger and Cold and a great Prince should offer his Son in Marriage to