Selected quad for the lemma: word_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	faith_n	hear_v	preach_n	3,029	5	10.8817	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15445	The delights of the saints A most comfortable treatise, of grace and peace, and many other excellent points. Whereby men may liue like saints on earth, and become true saints in heauen. First deliuered in a sermon preached at Pauls Crosse the second day of December, being the second Sunday of the Parliament. And in other sermons within the Cathedrall Church of Saint Paul, London. By Gryffith Williams, Doctor of Diuinity, and Parson of Lhan-Lhechyd. The contents are set downe after the epistle to the reader.	Williams, Gryffith, 1589?-1672.	1622 (1622)	STC 25716; ESTC S102808	185,617	476

our hearts condemne vs not of sinne as the Apostle sheweth 1 Iohn 2. A good name and report ariseth hence when we giue none occasion vnto men to suspect ill of vs. And therefore as he that committeth sinne and therefore can haue no good conscience towards God may notwithstanding through the concealing and close cariage of the same retaine a good report with men and continue in the good opinion of the world so he that committeth not sinne and therefore hath a good conscience towards God may notwithstanding by his indiscretion and want of circumspection giue many causes of iust suspitions of guiltinesse and so lose his reputation and good esteeme in the world And therefore that we may haue a good conscience towards God we must abstaine from all euill and that wee may Hee that would haue a good name must auoid all appearāce of euill 1 Thes 5. 22. haue a good report in the world wee must abstaine from all appearance of euill and giue no cause to any man to suspect ill of vs for as the prouerbe is He that will auoid an ill name Must auoid all that cause the same And He that will no euill doe Pro. 15. 15. Must doe nothing that belongs thereto And so when our hearts and consciences tell vs that wee neither did the euill nor gaue any cause in the world for any man to suspect vs of euill then shall we be happie indeed our hearts will be at peace and our consciences better then a continuall feast And thus you see the kindes of peace and you see the goodnesse of each kinde of peace that nothing can be more excellent then this blessed peace nor any thing in the world more miserable then to want the same And therefore nec vidisse satis est iuuat vsque morari I am loth to part yet from this point of The meanes to procure each kinde of peace peace and I hope we shall not lose our labour if we stay a little longer to consider how we may obtaine each kinde of peace that makes the obtainer happie and therefore I say 1. That we may finde peace with God 1. How to finde peace with God we must doe three especiall things 1. To beleeue in Christ 2. To auoid sinne 3. To doe good 1. We must beleeue in Christ for he is the Prince of peace and the only Esay 9. 6. Peace-maker betweene the mortall sinner and the immortall God but Christ dwelleth Eph. 3. 17. Aug. de Agon Christ ca. 12. in our hearts by faith saith the Apostle Et fides est prima quae subiugat animam Deo And our faith in Christ is the first thing that subiecteth our soule to God saith S. Augustine and so by faith in Christ we liue by faith in him Rom. 1. 17. we are reconciled to God we are iustified Rom. 3. 25. 28. sanctified saued And therefore without faith it is vnpossible to please God it is vnpossible to Act 15. 9. be at peace with God for as he that beleeueth Ephes 2. 8. on him is not condemned so he that beleeueth not on him is condemned already because hee hath not beleeued in the Iohn 3. 18. name of the only begotten Sonne of God and because in not beleeuing on him he maketh God alier and beleeueth not the record that God gaue of his Sonne 1 Ioh. 5. 10. 11. 12. which is that God hath giuen vs eternall life and that this life is in his Sonne and that whosoeuer hath the Sonne hath life and whosoeuer hath not the Sonne hath not life And therefore this should teach vs Faith is obtained increased by 3. especiall meanes all carefull diligence to get to preserue and to increase this precious gift of faith and that by three speciall means 1. By the hearing of the word 2. By the recouring of the Sacraments 3. By the feruencie of our prayers For 1. Faith commeth by hearing Rom. 10. 17. and hearing by the word of God saith the Apostle Et accenditur fidei lampa●igne diuini verbi And the lampe of faith is kindled by the fire of the heauenly word saith S. Chrysostome And so the Chrys in Matth. 25. Eph. 1. 13. Ephesians are said to haue beleeued in Christ after they had heard the word of Christ And therefore wee should bee euer willing and alwayes readie to heare the preaching of the word of God for the more we heare the more we shall increase our faith and the lesse we heare the lesse faith we shall be sure to haue 2. The Sacraments are Sigilla Dei the great seales of God that ratifie vnto vs the word of God that by two immutable Heb. 6. 18. things viz. Gods writing and Gods seale we might haue a strong consolation And they bee verba visibilia Euangelij the visible words of the Gospell that doe set before our eyes the sacrifice of Christ and shew in a visible manner how Christ was crucified for vs and shed his bloud for the remission of our sinnes And therefore wee should not neglect the frequent vse of these blessed meanes that God hath giuen vs to increase our faith 3. The prayer of a faithfull man auaileth James 5. 16. much to procure any thing at the hands of God if it be feruent saith the Apostle And therefore as Christ prayed Luke 22. 32. for S. Peter that his faith should not faile so should wee pray to God that hee would preserue and increase our faith and because the preaching of the word is but the demonstration of the Spirit and 1 Cor. 2. 4 5. faith is in the power of God therefore we should the rather pray that when Act. 16. 14. Christ is preached the Lord would sanctifie our hearts and open them as he did the heart of Lidia that we might beleeue in Christ 2. We must auoid sinne for sinne is the continuall make-bate betweene the righteous God and the vnrighteous man sinne writeth bitter things against Iob 13. 26. vs sinne layeth vs open before the face of God and sinne moueth his iealousie to burne like fire against vs for Psal 4. hee hateth all those that worke wickednesse And therefore if we would be at peace with God wee must be at warre with sinne as I said before and we must not only repent vs of the old sinnes that we haue committed but we must also resist all those new sinnes whereunto we shall be enticed for sinne is like Antaeus the gyant as oft as it is throwne downe viresque animumque resumit It will presently set a fresh vpon vs and the more eagerly seeke our ouerthrow and therefore we must manfully resist all the inticements of sinne or else our sinnes like those wilde horses Qui circum illiacos raptarunt hectora Virgilius muros will teare vs in peeces while there is none to helpe vs. 3. We must doe good for righteousnesse and peace haue kissed

vnto himselfe euen so though Christ died for them and made satisfaction for their sinnes yet may they be most iustly condemned for not receiuing and applying the same vnto themselues but to suffer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this great price to bee vneffectuall vnto them And this our Sauiour sheweth This Ioh. 3. 19. is condemnation that light is come vnto the world and men loue darknesse more than light for this is spoken of the reprobate and not of the godly for they loue light more than darknesse and therefore this is the condemnation of the wicked that light i. Christ Iesus is come vnto them and yet they refuse to accept him or to apply his benefits vnto themselues and doe loue darknesse more than light because their works are euill And therfore in a word to determine this question I say that the exhibition or giuing of Christ was for all men the manifestation of him by the preaching of the word vnto many and the speciall application of him by a liuely and sauing faith vnto few according to that saying of our Sauiour Christ Manie are called but few are chosen And so you see in what sense Christ may be said to haue died for all men and to procure grace for all men and in what sense he may be said to die only for his elect and to procure grace only vnto the elected Saints And from hence we may behold with ioy and consider with admiration the exuberancie and the exceeding superabundancie of Gods loue vnto his elected Saints and chosen people aboue all other men in the world for being all in the same masse of corruption cui nihil nisi supplicium debebatur to all which was nothing due but destruction we could deserue nothing at the hands of God no more then the wickedest men in the world And yet he doth not only giue his Sonne for vs as he did for all men else and offer his grace vnto vs as he doth vnto many others but also he extendeth his loue further towards vs then he doth vnto any other for he pittieth our vnaptnesse to receiue and vnablenesse to retaine his grace and therefore he helpeth our imbecillitie and worketh grace in our hearts to accept his grace to applie that grace vnto our selues and to retaine that grace vnto our liues end And so not of our selues but by the speciall and effectuall working of Gods grace we only that are elected doe accept apply and retaine the grace of God and all the benefits of Iesus Christ vnto our selues whereby we are iustified and sanctified here and shall be glorified hereafter O that we would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and shew the wonders that he doth and the exceeding superabundant kindnesse that hee sheweth for vs poore children of men And thus much for the restriction of sauing grace as it is effectuall and beneficiall only to the Saints though the same be done for all and offered as sufficient vnto many yet not effectually wrought in any but only in the Saints and chosen people of God 2. Touching the place where the How the godly dwell alwaies among the wicked Saints inhabit it is said to be Rome concerning which if we doe obserue The antiquitie The iniquitie of the same we shall easily finde subiect for large discourses 1. Some thinke that the Pelasgians ouerflowing the Countrey of Greece came into Italy and builded the Citie of Rome and called it Roma by reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est Impetus of the great strength and power thereof which Roma in Greeke doth signifie Others thinke that the Troyans reliquias Virgil. Aeneid Danaū atque immitis Achillis being tossed to and fro and wearied with their wiues and children landing in Italy their wiues by the aduice of a noble Lady called Roma did burne vp their ships that they might saile no further and therefore they were constrained to tarrie and to build a Citie which they called Roma in remembrance of that noble Lady sic alij atque alij aliud atque Plut. in vit Romuli aliud opinati sunt euery seuerall man had his seuerall iudgement as S. Aug. speaketh in the like case and Plutarch sheweth in this case But the common receiued opinion is that Romulus and Remus being departed from Alba did build the same and erect a sanctuarie of refuge that what malefactor soeuer did flie vnto the same he should be safe from all reuenge whereby in a short time it grew so populous so strong and so great a Citie that it excelled all others and at last became the Empresse and Metropolitan citie of the whole world quae inter alias caput extulit vrbes quantū Virgil. Eglog 1. lenta solent inter viburna cupressi 2. For the iniquitie of it it began in bloud when Cain-like Romulus did vnnaturally murder his naturall brother Remus and as Belus king of Niniuie erected a golden statue bearing the image of his father Beel and warranted all malefactors free that fled vnto the same whereby at last the wicked Beda in Luc. ca. 11. fugitiues adored the same for a god and so committed horrible idolatrie euen so by their wicked asylum did the Romans multiply in such multitudes that they exceeded all others And because they gaue tolerations for all Religions there was no hinderance of their increase because all men are euer readier to yeeld their allegeance Vale● Max. then their conscience vnto their enemies and so by these meanes they grew to the height of all impietie towards God of all sauage crueltie towards men as we reade of L. Sylla who stroue to be called foelix for his crueltie yet C. Marius iustified him and Caligula went beyond them both but Nero was born to iustifie Caligula saith Suetonius and so of the rest repleti om●●●●iustitia they were full of all vnrighteousnesse saith the Apostle Rom. 1. vlt. Yet heere among these wicked people in hac famosa ciui●ate in this citie famous for her infamie did these beloued Saints inhabite whereby we see The care of the Saints 1. Their care and circumspection 2. Their state and condition It is naturall in man to desire societie Arles li. 1. ca. 2. de Repub saith Arist yet there is nothing so dangerous as the societie of wicked men saith Isidorus for though that ship was Isidor lib. 2. sol not troubled that carried Peter yet that was greatly tossed that carried Iudas like that which carried Ionas and therefore all the godly that were with him licet suis meritis firmi yet turbebantur alienis saith S. Ambrose though Ambros l. 4. super Luc. they were firme in respect of their own deserts yet were they hazarded for the wickeds sake And therefore these Christians liuing among the wicked in the midst of impietie were very circumspect of their societie else could they neuer haue preserued their sanctitie euen so should we doe though we

before and therfore they being his members they must needs be holy 2. In respect of the graces of Gods holy Spirit wherewith they are endued as faith and repentance whereby their sins are cleansed and the righteousnesse of Christ imputed vnto them For the word Sanctus may be taken à verbo sanciendi saith S. Augustine because that 〈…〉 is called Sanctum which is constant and firme but there is nothing that hindereth vs to remaine firme for euer but only sinne and therefore sanctitie co●sisteth in the condonation and remission c●sinne saith this father And the Apostle doth inferre as much when after he had rehearsed a They are Saints that haue their sinnes remitted catalogue of the sinnes of the Corinthians and said that sometimes they were such and such he addeth But now ye are washed but now ye are sanctified to shew that when our sinnes are washed our vnrighteousnesse forgiuen our iniquities couered then are we sanctified And Saint Chrysostome vpon these Chrysost in hom 5. words called Saints saith that the Apostle meaneth hereby all beleeuers And S. Ambrose saith the Apostle meaneth these by Saints which doe thinke well of Christ and he sheweth them to be those Qui censent ei soli fidendum in ipso credunt perfectam esse salutem which beleeue only in Christ and expect perfect saluation from Christ and so the Apostle saith that fide purificantur corda faith purifieth the hearts but that which is purified is holy And therefore they were called Saints in respect of their faith and repentance which washed away their sinnes and indued them with the righteousnes of Christ Whosoeuer therefore would bee a Saint he must be penitent for his sinnes and wash the same away with the teares of true repentánce So S. Peter did fleuit amarè he wept bitterly saith the Scripture vt lachrymae lauarent delictum that his teares might wash away his sinne saith S. Ambrose Vade fac tu similiter Ambros in Luc. if thou wilt be a Saint thou must doe the like Lachrymis dilue culpam to cleanse away thy sinnes with teares for Lachrymis opus est non sanguine dixit Saepe per has flecti principis irasolet And we must beleeue in Christ if we will bee Saints for faith layeth hold of his righteousnesse and applyeth the same vnto vs and maketh vs Saints by the imputatiue sanctity of Christ who was made vnto vs wisedome iustification sanctification and redemption 3. In respect of the holinesse and piety 1. Cor. The Christians of the primitiue Church were most holy in all their life which they practised For though they liued in the world yet were they separated from the world and had their conuersations in heauen and respected not the vanities of this life but deemed them as nothing and worth nothing damnū stercora as dung and drosse and triuiall things as the Apostle speaketh And therefore if wee compare the life of the Saints with the life of the wicked wee shall see as much difference betwixt them as is betwixt light and darknesse for whereas the wicked haue their feete swift to shed blood and are Mezentius-like contemners of the Gods or as the Sicilian Tyrants vndoers of men these godly Saints saith S. Augustine did wholly separate themselues Aug. in ps to 9. f. 410. from euill and fixe their whole desire on Christ in summo bono sese delectabant●● and forsaking all worldly delights they delighted themselues onely in the chiefest good and S. Chrysostome saith aliena commoda propriis Chrys to 1. anteponebant they preferred their neighbours good before their owne proper gaine they shed teares for sinners and were ready to lay down their liues euen for their enemies and were of all men admired both for their humility and charity for caeteris omnibus humiliores fuerunt saith S. Ambrose they were more meeke and lowly then all others and they were so bounteous that Christiana religio propter Christianorum erga omnes cuiuscunque religionis beneficentiam propagata est the Christian Religion by reason of their exceeding liberality to all men did wonderfully increase saith Maximinus And therefore as it was the wish of Wee are now farre short of the sanctity of our forefathers Caesar that hee had such souldiers as were in the time of Alexander the Great so doe I wish with all my heart that wee had such Saints as these our fore-fathers were for wee are but like the leaues of the Cypresse tree whereof the Poet saith Pulchra coma est pulchro digestaeque ordine Al●iat Emblem frondes Sed fructus nullos haec coma pulchra gerit Faire leaues but no fruite or like the Scribes and Pharisies whose righteousnesse and sanctity was saith S. Chrysostome in ostentatione non in rectitudine intentionis in ostentation not in sincerity of intention or like the meteor which the Philosophers called assub that made a great fiery shew for a while and then suddenly vanisht to nothing But the whole life of the former Saints was a continuall exercise of piety and sanctity they were iust in promise though it were to their owne hinderance they were plaine in their attire and moderate in their diet S. Basil and Sozomene write that the Basil Orat. de 40. mart Soz●m l. 7. beholding of their vpright and godly life moued many heathens to become Christians and Eusebius saith that Maximinus and other cruell Tyrants could not choose but wonder to see how sedulous they were in doing good and how carefull in auoyding euill with true fastings earnest prayers diligent watchings and painfull labours in their vocations and therefore in respect of their inchoatiue inherent sactity they might well bee called the Saints of God that liued so holily in the sight of God But against this it may be obiected Obiect that they were not so holy nor could not bee such Saints when as the best of them were tainted with great and grieuous sinnes as Noah Dauid Peter c. I answer that all Saints in earth haue their sinnes for whosoeuer saith he hath The best Saints had their imperfections no sinne hee deceiues himselfe and there is no truth in him Quia nihil peccare solius Dei est sapientis est emendare poenitentiam agere de peccato And yet if wee say wee haue no righteousnesse we belye the gifts of God or else wee bee no Christians what then Aliquid iustitiae haebemus aliquid non habemus some righteousnesse wee haue and some wee want wee are baptized and therefore our sinnes are forgiuen to vs and yet there resteth a conflict against sinne against the flesh the world and the Diuell but hee that striueth sometimes striketh and sometimes is stricken and therfore though wee haue some sanctity yet all sanctity wee cannot haue saith S. Augustine Aug. to 10. de verb. Apostoli ser 16. f. 131 and therefore the holiest and purest men are both Saints and

no darknesse at all And therefore God appeared to Moses in a flame of fire to Ex●d 3. shew that he would cherish and comfort that poore people which were so much distressed and tormented of the Egiptians these be the two properties of fire to cherish or consume for nothing is so comfortable as fire if it be before vs nothing so violent if it be vpon vs so nothing is more comfortable then God vnto the godly nothing more terrible vnto wicked Tu terribilis Deus extunc ira tua who is able to abide his wrath And to these three deriuations of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Zanch addeth a fourth That Zanch de nat Dei it may be deriued of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by changing δ. into θ. which signifieth feare because of all nations he should be feared And indeed Primus in orbe Deos fecit timor feare makes vs know there is a God when a mans conscience telleth him that euery good shall be rewarded and euerie euill must be punished And so you haue the significations of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God take it how you will it serueth 1. To shew vs qualis est Deus that The greatnesse of Gods Maiestie should teach vs to feare him God is a great and terrible God that seeth all things disposeth all things and rewardeth all things according to their iust deserts 2. To teach vs quid sit nostri officij what our duties are to feare and tremble to offend this great and terrible God and to be affraid of his iudgements because it is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God 2. Though God be a burning fire Exod. 3. yet he consumeth not presently for though the bramble bush burned because God was in it yet it consumed not because his goodnesse preserued Exod. 3. it euen so though in the first place we see his Maiesty and his title of feare and reuerence yet in the second place if you but looke a little further you shall see his lenitie and his titles of loue and boldnesse not one but many like a boundlesse Ocean that would extoll it selfe in goodnesse aboue himselfe Our Father and our Lord Iesus Christ Now these titles are to be considered two waies 1. In respect of the Father 2. In respect of the Sonne In both which respects the loue and goodnesse of God is most abundantly shewed vnto vs 1. In that he is our Father 2. In that he is our Lord and Sauiour Of these in order These two words Our Father containe the sum of the Law and the Gospell Our Father De 1. The titles that doe expresse the goodnesse of the first person are two 1. Pater Father 2. Noster Our Father The first is verbum fidei a word of faith The second is verbum spei charitatis a word of hope and charitie and therefore in these two words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our Father are contained both 1. Lex operandi the law of workes Basil obseru 2. Lex credendi the law of Faith i. both the Law and the Gospell For 1. To loue God with all our heart with all our soule and with all our strength and our neighbour as our selues is the summe of the Law and the Prophets saith our Sauiour but the name of Father vt explicat ita excitat Eliensis in orat domin charitatem as it sheweth the loue of God to man so it stirreth vp and kindleth the loue of man towards God the word noster Our Father sheweth the fraternity and brother-hood of vs all as being the children of the same father and therefore should loue one another euen as brethren ought to doe so here is our loue to God and our neighbour 2. The sum of the Gospell is faith working by charity but Father is a word of faith a word of boldnesse and Our is a word of community a word of charity And therefore as the whole world is described in a little mappe saith Synesius so in these two little words are most closely included the sum of the Law and the Gospell And therefore I will handle them more particularly And first of the word Father then of Our Father De 1. God is said to be a Father God is a Father in two respects in two respects 1. Respectu filij in respect of his sonne Christ Iesus 2. Respectu creaturarum in respect of all his creatures 1. In respect of his Sonne Christ Iesus he is alwaies a Father from all eternities Quia ille semper Pater Aug. to 10. ser 33. in apend de diuersis ille semper filius ac proinde Pater nunquam non Pater filius nunquam non filius he is alwaies a Father the Sonne is alwaies a Sonne and therefore the Father was neuer no Father and the Sonne was neuer no Sonne Sed sicut semper Deus it a semper Pater habens semper filium quem semel genuit ex sua aequalem sibi natura but was as he was euer a God so he was euer a Father hauing euer a Son which he once begat of his own nature coequall vnto himselfe saith Saint Augustine 2. In respect of his creatures he is said to be a Father 1. Generally of all his creatures God is said to be the Father of all his creatures 2. Particularly of man the chiefest of his creatures 1. Seeing all creatures haue their being from him he may be well called the Father of them all quia Pater dat esserei And therefore Iob calleth him Iob 38. Pater pluuiae the father of the raine And Saint Iames calleth him Pater luminum the Father of the Iam. 1. lights And so in respect of creation he is the Father of all things 2. He is the Father of men after a more speciall manner then he is of all other creatures whatsoeuer and that two waies 1. In respect of their generation 2. In respect of their regeneration For 1. Whereas of all other things he did but say fiat lux let there be light and producat terra let the earth bud forth and of all other things he spake the word and they were made he commanded they stood fast yet when man was to be created he said Let vs make God is more properly the Father of men man as consulting with his wisdome in our owne image and likenesse as more properly to be our sonne then any other creature and so he breathed in the nostrils of man the breath of life and man became a liuing soule And therefore the very Heathens doe ascribe to the soule of man both maxima vis maximus honos the greatest power and the greatest honour and the prince of Philosophers telleth vs it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an infusion celestiall and no naturall traduction and therefore doth alwaies seeke to mount vp super altitudines terrae aboue all earthly things haerere origini