Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	holy_a	lord_n	spirit_n	8,095	5	5.0560	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50251	The summe of certain sermons upon Genes. 15.6 vvherein not only the doctrine of justification by faith is asserted and cleared, and sundry arguments for justification before faith, discussed and answered : but also the nature and the meanes of faith, with the imputation of our sins to Christ, and of Christs righteousness to us are briefly explained and confirmed / preached at Dorchester in New-England by Richard Mather ... ; and now by him published at the earnest request of sundry well-affected and Godly Christians.	Mather, Richard, 1596-1669.	1652 (1652)	Wing M1276; ESTC W18271	50,747	60

as it was said of old that the Priests lipps should preserve knowledg and they should seek the Law at his mouth Mal. 2. 7. so in the new Testament Christ hath appointed Officers in his Church as for other ends so for this that wee may not be children tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine Ephe. 4. 11 24. that is that wee might not bee seduced with errours and them that teach them In which respect it is that the Eunuch confesseth he could not understand the Scriptures without some to guid him Acts 8. 30 31. The Disciples of Christ hearing of an opinion of the Scribes that Christ was not the Messiah because of a seeming-strong objection that Elias must first come if they had kept this objection to themselves they might have been foyled or puzzled therewith but they were more wise then so they do not keep it close and only plod upon it amongst themselves but very honestly bring it forth to their Master Christ Jesus and so had resolution satisfaction Math 17. 10 11 12 13. A notable example and worthy of imitation but when men have met with new notions apprehentions whether from books or otherwise contrary to the doctrine which they have received shall keep them in hugger mugger so that their officers must not know them the ministers of Christ must not be aquainted with them this is a ready way for the endangering of their souls exceedingly Like stollen waters which are sweet and bread eaten in secret which is pleasant but the dead are there and such ghuests are in the depth of Hell Pro 9. 17 18. Oh therfore let every soul that would be preserved from the infection of errour carefully look to these things and let him cry mightily to God through Iesus Christ for his grace and holy Spirit to preserve him in the truth and to bless him in the use of these and ●…her good means for that end and then he may with comfort expect that the Lord will preserve him from the evill way of errour and lyes and will guide him in the truth wayes of grace to his heavenly Kingdom through Iesus Christ To whom ●…e all glory of service and a●…nce for ever R. M. TO The Christian Reader THE Iustification of a sinner before God as it is the fruit of the Riches of his Grace Ephe 1. 7. So it is the Root of our peace with God Rom 5. 1. which passeth understanding Phil. 4. 7. and of our joy in the Holy Ghost which is unspeakable glorious 1 Pet 1. 8. This is that gift of his Grace which filleth our hearts with admiration to wonder at the abundant rich Mercy of the Lord in pardoning our many and mighty sinns Micah 7. 18. to wonder also at the deep demerit of our sinns which could not be expiated but by the precious blood yea and soul-sufferings of the great God our Saviour Yea and to wonder likewise at our baseness and filthines and folly that could live so long in so dangerous desperate a course provoking the most High to so great Anger and our selves to the confusion of our own faces souls Hence it is that every godly Treatise tending to the discovery of this grace is wont deeply to affect the hearts of such as through grace have part in this common salvation Amongst others of this kind Good Reader thou shalt find this little Treatise to be like Maryes box of spikuard which washing the paths of Christ towards us as that did his feet will be fit to perfume not only the whole house of God with the odour of the oyntment of his Grace but also thy soul with the oyl of gladnes above what creature-comforts can afford The manner of handling thou shalt find to be soltd and judicious succinct and pithy fit by the blessing of Christ to make wise unto salvation The presence and blessing of Christ go with it to refresh thy soul with the savour of his Oyntments In whom we rest Studious of thine edification in his grace and peace J. Cotton J. VVilson Boston 24. 5. 1652. Geneses 15. 6. And hee Believed in the LORD and Hee c●…ted it to him for righteousness IN the former verses of this chapter is conteined a renewing of the Lords promise to Abram concerning his seed In this verse is conteined the effect and fruit of that promise how Abram therupon believed in the Lord and then the benefit that accrewed to him by that believing how the Lord accounted it to him for righteousness For the meaning of the words It may be first of all demanded VVhat is me●…t by Abrams believing in the LORD Hereby is meant not onely that hee believed the Word of God to be true for if that had been all the Lord would never have justified him by such a faith nor have counted it to him for righteousness as the text affirmes that he did for the Divells do so believe and yet are farr from being justified James 2. 19. But here by is meant morover that he also relyed upon God that had promised by an act of Affiance Relyance or Dependance upon him so much the various words may import which are not barely hee believed the Lord but hee believed in the Lord or on the Lord Besides believing is an act of the heart Rom 10. 10. Not of the head or of the understanding only but of the heart also and if a man believe with his heart then there will be a firm resting and relying on the thing promised and on him that promiseth as it is said Isai 26. 3. Tho●… w●…lt keep him in peace whose mind is stayed on th●… because he tr●…steth in thee The heart fainteth when a man belie●…eth not Gen 45. 26. and is fixed or fastened when a man believeth in the Lord Psal 112. 7 8. This that is said here of Abrams believing is expounded by the Apostle Rom 4. 18 19 20 21. by Hope above hope and by not staggering at the promise through unbel●…efe VVhat means this word He counted it to him for righteousness It is as much as to say the Lord imputed this Faith of Abram for righteousness in Gods sight So it notes that hee was justified not by workes but by this his Faith and so the Apostle expounds these words Rom 4. 2 3 4 5. Did Abram never believe afore now and was hee never justified before this time Yes doubtless long before this time for it was by Faith that hee left his own country and kindred and came to sojourn in the land of Canaan as the land of promise This he did by faith Heb 11. 8. Which was afore this time Hee also had heard many promises of God to him his seed afore now both in chap 12. 2 3 7. chap 13. 14. which doubtless he did believe VVhy then is this mentioned now as if he had not been a justified believer before One cause therof may be because his

THE SUMME OF CERTAIN SERMONS UPON Genes 15. 6. VVherin Not only the DOCRINE of JUSTIFICATION by FAITH is Asserted and Cleared And sundry Arguments for IUSTIFICATION before FAITH discussed and Answered But Also The nature and the meanes of Faith with the Imputation of our sins to CHRIST and of Christs Righteousness to us are briefely Explained and Confirmed Preached at Dorchester in New-England by RICHARD MATHER Teacher to the Church there And Now by him Published at the earnest request of sundry well-affected and Godly Christians Printed by Samuel Green at CAMBRIDG in New-England 1652. THE Authors Preface to the Reader Christian Reader WHen these sermons were first preached in the ordinary course of my ministry on going forward on the book of Genesis I had no thoughts at that time that they should ever have been f●…rther published in this way that now tho●… seest But sundry Godly Christians Brethren having heard them delivered in preaching and thinking they might afterwards also bee usefull for the benefit of themselves and their familyes if they might enjoy them printed which they did very much desire they therefore came to mee with a serious solemn request that I would further and fulfill their earnest desires in this thing Against which motion though I alledged many objections 〈◊〉 they still continued to desire as formerly Wherupon at the last considering with my self that God who hath the hearts of all men in his hands might in mooving their hearts to such a desire have some farther ●…ntent ther●… for his own glory and the good of some or other of his servants then I at the first did apprehend or could perceive I therupon began to consider further of the motion and having perused revised some brief notes which I had by me of those sermons I imparted to them a Copye therof yet with renuall of my former objections against printing and proposing to their consideration whether it might not be best to satisfie themselves with that writte●… copie and to let the printing alone But their desires continued as afore and thence it commes to pass that the sermons are committed to publick view Which I thus aquaint the Reader withall partly as some excuse for my self that I would publish such plain stuff as here is cont●…ned in such a knowing and Criticall time as this is for the importunity of request hath compelled me thereto and partly that if any sober and honested hearted christian receive any benefit here●…y hee may know to whom he is indebted for the same even chiefly to the Lord as the principall Author of all good and then unto those godly Christians who have been the instruments of bringing these sermons to be publick which had it not been through their importunity had never seen the light in this way I deny not but sundry of the things here treated of viz the grace of Faith Justification by faith and the Imputation of Christs Righteousness unto justification are mayn and principall points of christian religion and such as that the ignorance of them or erroneous apprehentiōs about them can not but be very perilous in which respect it is the more needfull that the people of God should be established in the belief love of the truth concerning such points as these are And for this cause I the rather yeilded to publish what here thou seest being so importuned therunto as I have said if I might by the blessing of Christ afford any little help to the end afore mentioned And so much the rather because Satan that enemy of all truth father of lyes hath endevoured not only of old but of late also to corrupt the mindes of many people touching these things Heretofore and still amongst the popish sort he would perswade to an opinion of justification by works and not by faith only And now when the perniciousness of that Tenent begins to be more generally discerned he labours to undermine the truth another way instilling into the minds of some a conceit that they may be justified not only without their own works but also without the grace of faith And because it would be too gross at the first to cry down all use of faith which the Spirit of God in the holy Scripture doth so abundantly urge extoll and that therfore such a conceit at the first would hardly take amongst them that have any acquaintance with the Scripture therfore the crafty enemy allowes for the time that there may be some use of faith about this matter of justification viz to know or be assured by it of justification preceding and that though we are justified indeed afore faith yet wee did not know it afore but now do know it by faith A palpable perverting of the truth of God plainly and plenteously laid down in his word especially in Pauls epistles wherin you shall never read of knowing by faith that we are justified without faith or before faith Such language is a stranger in Gods book and amongst the oracles of God and far discrepant from the form of wholsom words wherin nothing is more frequent then that we are justified by faith Now to turn this word Wee are justified into this meaning wee know that we are justified in which sence it will be hard to find it so much as once used in any place where justification by faith is spoken of is a manifest metamorphosing of the words of the Holy one and a wresting of the Scripture I fear unto mens own destruction 2 Pet 3. 16. But do you think that Satan will rest here It is rather to be seared if this delusion takes place a while this use of faith which is yet allowed will be denyed also For some are already come to this to deny that there are any gifts or graces at all in the hearts of justified persons Which if it were true then there is no faith in them and if there be no faith then it is not by faith that men do know their justification for how can they know it by that which is not And ●…o as now they deny that men are justified by faith so when where this other delusion takes place to deny all inherent graces there men must hold that justification may not only be but also be known without faith or else not be known at all A lamentable dreadfull issue wherat Satan drives and whereto this opinion tends if God do not in mercy prevent And because this is a time wherin not only these but many other unsound opinions and some of them very pernicious are scattered abroad therfore I hope the godly Reader will bear with me if out of my unseyned desire of his salvation and of the honour of Jesus Christ and his truth I shall here propound some sew helps for a christians preservation in the truth from the prevailing power of errour And let not this be thought a needless bu●…siness nor let any that loveth his own salvation give way to