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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	apostle_n	covenant_n	grace_n	5,674	5	6.6688	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B03501	The mystery of faith opened up: or Some sermons concerning faith (two where of were not formerly printed.) Wherein the nature, excellency, and usefulness of that noble grace is much cleared, and the practice thereof most powerfully pressed. Whereunto are added other three sermons, two concerning the great salvation, one of these not formerly printed, and a third concerning death. / By that pious and worthy servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. Andrew Gray, late minister of the Gospel in Glasgow. All these sermons being now carefully revised, and much corrected.	Gray, Andrew, 1633-1656.; Traill, Robert, 1642-1716.; Stirling, John, b. 1621?	1668 (1668)	Wing G1616; ESTC R177630	121,416	225

a kind of Omnipotency as is clear that all things are possible to them that believe but it hath a kind of Omnisciency and all knowledge that it can take up and comprehend all the greatest mysteries of Heaven according to that word Prov. 28.5 He that seeketh the Lord shal understand all things As if he had said there is nothing dark to a believing Christian as there is nothing impossible to a believing Christian As likewise Faith is that grace that must take aside the vail that is spread over the face of a crucified Christ and Faith is that precious Spy thatgoeth forth and taketh up these wonderful excellencies that are in him The grace of Love as it were is born blind and it hath nothing wherewith to solace it self but that which is presented unto it by this noble and excellent grace of Faith Now before we shal speak any thing to these things that we did propose to speak of at last occasion we shal yet speak a little unto some things which are necessary to be known for the distinct uptaking of the nature of justifying Faith which is the great commandment of this everlasting Gospel and that which we would first speak to shall be this What is the reason and ground that the Gospel conveyance of righteousness and life and of the excellent things of this everlasting Covenant should be thorow the exercise of the grace of Faith for it is not said in the Scripture that Repentance justifieth that Love justifieth or that Mortification justifieth but it is Faith only that justifieth and it is Faith by which a Christian inheriteth the promises So that is clear that Faith is that conduit-pipe thorow which are conveyed to us the great blessings of this everlasting Covenant I. And the first ground of it is this it is thorow Faith that all our blessing may be known to be by love and by free and unsearchable grace as is clear Rom. 4.16 while the Apostle is giving a reason why the inheritance is conveyed to a Christian through Faith It is of Faith saith he that it might be of grace for if the inheritance were conveyed to a Christian thorow a covenant of works then these spotlesse draughts of infinite love and of unsearchable grace should not be written on our inheritance as it is clear Rom. 4.25 And it is that g●eat design of Christ to make his grace conspicious in conveying salvation to us through Faith II. There is this second ground likewise of it that all the promises and blessings of this everlasting Covenant might be sure and stedfast to us therefore they are conveyed to us through the exercise of the grace of Faith as is clear Rom 4. ●6 They are of Faith saith he that they might be sure or as the word is that they might be setled When the promises of life and of eternal salvation were conveyed to us through mans obedience were they not then most uncertain and unstable But is not Heaven your everlasting crown now stedfast unto you seeing ye have that golden pillar of Christs everlasting righteousness to be the foundation of your Faith and the strength of your confidence in the day of need III. There is this third ground why the promises excellent things of this Gospel are conveyed to a Christian through the exercise of Faith that all boasting and gloriation might be excluded according to that word Rom. 3.27 By what law is boasting excluded Not by the law of works but by the law of faith And certainly seeing Chirstians have all the great things of heaven conveyed to them through the exercise of Faith think ye not that this shal be your first song when ye shal be within the gates of that new Jerusalem Not unto us not unto us but unto thee doth belong the glory of our salvation O what a precious dignity were it but for an half hour to be admitted to hear those spotless sōgs that are sung by those thousād times ten thousand thousands of thousands of holy angels that are round about this throne Doth not David that sweet singer of Israel now sing more sweetly then he did while he was here below Doth not deserted Haman now chant forth the praises and everlasting songs of him that sitteth upon the Throne And doth not afflicted Job now sing sweetly after his captivity is reduced and he entered within that Land where the voice of joy and gladness is continually heard Would ye have a description of heaven I could give it no term so sutable as this Heaven is a rest without a rest for though there remain a rest for the righteous yet Rev. 4.8 These four beasts that stand before the Throne they rest not night nor day crying Holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty yet there is much divine quietness in that holy unquietness that is above IV. There is this last ground why the blessings of the Gospel and life and righteousness are conveyed to us through the exercise of Faith that the way to attain to these things might be pleasant and easie We a●e certainly perswaded that the way of winning to heaven by a covenant of works was much more un●leasant and difficult but it is not an easie way of entring into the Holy of Holies to win unto it through the exercise of Faith Are not all wisdoms wayes pleasantness And are not all her paths peace Was not that just self-denial in one that said he would not take up a Crown though it were lying at his foot But oh that cursed self-denial doth possess the breasts of many so that though that Crown of immortal glory and eternal blessedness be lying at your feet yet ye will not imbrace it nor take it up Is not the hatred of many to Christ covered with deceit And therefore your iniquity shal be declared before the Congregation Now that what we have spoken upon this might be more clear and that the nature of justifying Faith be not mistaken we would have you take notice of these things 1. That the grace of Faith doth not justifie a Christian as it is a work or because of any inherent excellency and dignity that is in this grace above any other graces of the Spirit but faith doth alone justifie a Christian instrumentally and objectively that is it is that by which a Christian is just by laying hold on the precious object of it the righteousness of Christ And to clear this we would only have you knowing this that saith doth justifie as it closeth with Christ but not because it closes with Christ which some vainly are bold to assert because there is not any dignity or worth in the act of Faith inclosing with Christ that can be the foundation of our justification else it were to confound that precious degree of free grace 2. There is this that we would have you all knowing that faith is not the instrument of justification as justification is taken in an active sense though it is

this great salvation are those persons who go about to establish their own righteousness and will not submit to the righteousness of Christ in a word it is that sort of persons who think they may win to heaven by a covenant of works and will not take the Gospels way of travelling to heaven in the covenant of grace And surely there is not a person here who hath not that cursed in●lination to be as little obliged to Christ for his salvation as he can We would go to heaven without the way which is Christ And believe me there are many in this Congregation who go thus about to establish their own righteousness And I shal propose six sorts of persons who ●all under this first rank 1. The first sort are those who trust on their own civility and think that will carry them to ●eaven those are the persons who go about to stablish their own righteousness Say they I de●y the world to say any thing to me I was ever●ore an honest man and I trust therefore that I ●hal go to heaven But I say to thee O Atheist I ●hat thou art thou shalt never win to heaven by ●ose means till thou come to Christ with this ●ll my righteousness are as filthy rags 2. The second sort are those who build their confidence upon their denyal of their good works but yet never come this length to make use of Jesus Christ 3. The third sort are those who build their confidence upon their duties they think they will come to Heaven by their good prayers by their reading and by their fasting like unto that Phatisee Luke 18 11. I thank God I am not like other men for I fast twice in the week I pay tit●er of all that I possess But I say unto thee thy dutie● will never bring thee to Heaven if Christ be not the end of all thy duties nor can you perform a duty without him 4. The fourth sort of persons who fall under this first rank of slighters of the great salvation are those who trust on their convictions If the have once been convinced of their sin and miserable estate they think there is no more to d● Christ will never reject them so they sit dow● and build their hope upon these convictions 5. The fifth sort of persons are those wh● build their confidence upon their resolutions 〈◊〉 they oftentimes have I resolved to be a bette● man then I am therefore I think which is 〈◊〉 first delusion of many that God will accept 〈◊〉 will for the deed but it had been good for ma●… such a word had not been in the Bible or th● their cursed eyes had never read it But kn●… this that though thou hadst as strong resoluti● as Peter or as good wishes as Balaam had if th● never labor to bring them to practise God sh● say to thee Depart from me I know you not Any of you who build upon your resolutions you will build upon a sandy foundation these being many times a goodness but like the morning dew 6. And the sixth sort of persons who fall under this first rank of slighters of this great salvation and wherein the evil is most subtil are those who build their salvation upon their graces these also go about to establish their own righteousness But I say to such their graces cannot be the foundation of their hope although they may be as evidences to strengthen their hope Now are there none here who fall under this first rank of stighters of the great salvation Or are there none here who will confess they have gone about to establish their own righteousness I say to thee who wilt confess put a rope about thy neck and come to Christ for he is a merciful King I say to thee come to Christ with this All my righteousness is like filthy rags And if thou wilt come with this in sincerity he shall say Bring forth the white robe and put it upon him If thou canst be brought to speak that in sinceri●y to Christ there shal be no more betwixt Christ and thee but Come and cloath him with the white ●obe II. Secondly those persons slight the great Salvation who delay their taking hold of the ●recious offers of the Gospel for there are many when we preach this Gospel and when we ●old out the great Salvation unto them who ●ay I will follow Christ but I must first go home and bury my father and so they delay to take hold of this great Salvation But I say to you whoever you be that thus delay to take hold on this great Salvation you are the slighters of it Is there a person within these doors who dare but acknowledge that he hath slighted this great Salvation and delayed to embrace it O! tell me what do your consciences speak Are there any but they must acknowledge they come under this second rank And I say to you who have thus delayed will you yet embrace it I say even unto you who are old men now past sixty years and have slighted this great Salvation so long yet this day this great Salvation is offered unto you What say you to it O! what do you say to this offer Are ye saying I must now delay and not receive this great Salvation till min● harvest be by and over I say unto thee th● the harvest of the wrath of God is ripe and 〈◊〉 shal put in his sickle and cut thee down I sh●… say no more to those who thus slight this gre●… Salvation but this Why stand ye all the day 〈◊〉 the market place idle and doing nothing 〈◊〉 will you be at last induced to take and embra● this great Salvation before it be hid from you eyes III. Thirdly those persons are the slighte● of this great Salvation who complement w●… Christ when they are invited to come and pe●… take of it and say silently to the Mioister or ●ther to their own conciences I pray you have 〈◊〉 excused at this time as those Luke 14.18 〈◊〉 I would only ask of such Have you any lawful excuse why you will not come and partake of this great Salvation Is there any person here that hath any lawful excuse to present I shal never take that off your hand Have me excused But be sure of this I shal never excuse you but accuse you therefore I desire that those persons who have slighted the great salvation by complementing with Christ that they would complement no more with him at all but now embrace it IV. The fourth sort of persons who slight this great Salvation are those who give way to ●iscouragements and unbelief so that they will not come and partake of this great Salvation I say such of you are slighters of it and Christ ●ill esteem you such Oh if ye knew the worth ●nd vertue of this great Salvation there would not be a temptation you could meet with that would hinder you from embracing it But if ●hou couldst not

and infinite love unto eternity after must make Faith to fall in a sea of wondering raiseth the thoughts to the highest pitch of desire and estimation Fourthly we may likewise add that the impression of the preciousness of Christ which sense maketh upon the soul is not so constant nor so single as that which Faith doth make O but the grace of Faith giveth the Christian a broad look of Christ and letteth him see Christ cloathed with ornaments of glory and divine Majesty Sense followeth Christ rather that it may see his miracles and love that it may be fed with loaves but Faith follows Christ for himself above all II. The second consideration to speak the advantage of it is that the grace of Faith it hath as it were an arbitrary power with God so that whatsoever a Christian shall seek in Faith he shall receive it It was the noble gift that was once given to Faith that it never should seek any thing and be denied according to that word in Matt. 21.22 And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing ye shall receive it And that word in John 15.7 Abide in me that is believe and the promise is annexed to this Whatsoever ye shall ask ye shall receive And it is clear likewise from the preceeding verse to our Text that if we obey this command of Faith Whatsoever we shal ask of God we shal receive it And I would speak these two things to you from this First that oftentimes Christ putteth a blank in a Christians hand who is much in the exercise of Faith according to that in Matth 20.32 Is there not an ample blank put into that mans hand What wilt thou that I should do unto thee Christ desireth him to fill up the blank with what he would And secondly there is this which is one of the greatest steps of Christs matchless condescendency that oftentimes when his own have sought in their presumption a blank to be put in their hand Christ condescendeth to give it according to that strange passage in Mark 10.35.36 the two Disciples who present this desire to Christ We desire say they that whatsoever we ask thou shouldest give it unto us And presently that is answered What will ye that I shal do for you Christ hath an infinit good will to satisfie the desires of his own and that which yet more speaketh out Christs boundless good will to satisfie the desires of all that belong to him it may be decared in that word John 16.24 where he chargeth his Disciples with this Hither to saith he have ye asked me nothing ye must not suppose that Peter James and John never sought a suite of Christ● but the meaning of that expression is this Ye sought nothing in comparison of that which I was willing to give and which your necessity did call for at my hands which ye should have sought III. There is this third consideration to poin● out the advantage of Faith it is that grace tha● keepeth all the graces of the Spirit in life exercise Faith is that higher wheel at the motion o● which all the lower wheels do move if so we may speak Faith is that Primum mobile that first moves and turns about all these lower graces of the Spirit according to that 2 Pet. 1.5 Add to your faith vertue and to your vertue patience and to your patience brotherly kindness First the grace of Faith keepeth in exrcise the grace of love as is clear Eph. 3.17 where these two graces are conjoined As likewise from Rom. 5.1 compared with verse 5. Being justified by faith Then this leffect followeth upon it the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts And so it is certain that Faith keepeth love in life Faith being the spy of the soul and that intelligencer and precious messenger it goeth out and bringeth in objects unto love Faith draweth and bringeth in objects unto love Faith draweth aside the vail and love sitteth down and solaceth it self in the discoveries of Faith Secondly the grace of Faith likewise it keepeth the grace of mortification in exercise as is clear not only from Eph. 6.9 but from 1 John 5.4 This is our victory whereby we overcome the world even our faith And it is certain that Faith keepeth mortification in exercise and advanceth holiness not only because of this that Faith is that grace that presenteth to a Christian the absolute purity and spotless holiness of Jesus Christ but also because it maketh them esteem their idols taste less as the white of an egg and they become unto them as their sorrowful meat The best principle of mortification is this the discoveries of the invisible vertues of Jesus Christ that mortification which ariseth from the lovely discoveries of the excellency of Jesus Christ is most real and abiding as those waters which rise from the highest springs are not only constant but likewise most deep and excellent Thirdly Faith likewise hath influence upon mortification as it doth take hold of that infinite strength that is in Christ by which a Christian is inabled to mortifie his coruptions Fourthly Faith likewise maketh application of the blood of sprinkling by which we are purified from dead works Fifthly likewise the grace of Faith keepeth in exercise the grace of Humility as is clear Rom. 3.27 By what law saith he is boasting excluded It is not by the law of works but by the law of faith Sixthly Faith keepeth in exercise the grace of joy as is clear Rom. 15.13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing So that ye see the proper fruit of Faith is joy in the holy Ghost And certainly did we believe more we should rejoice more Seventhly and lastly Faith keepeth in exercise the grace of Hope for it is impossible for hope to be in lively exercises except Faith once be exercised which may be a shame unto you for how can we hope to attain the thing that is promised except our Faith first close with the promise So there is this difference betwixt the grace of Faith and the grace of Hope the grace of Faith closeth with the promises but the grace of Hope it close● with the thing that is promised IV. There is this fourth consideration th●… may speak out the excellency of the grace 〈◊〉 Faith It is that grace by which a Christian doth attain to most divine fellowship and constant correspondency with heaven Would y● have that question resolved and determined What is the best way not to stir up our Beloved nor awake him until he please It is this be much in the grace of Faith this is clear from Ephes 3.17 That Christ may dwel in our hearts by faith By the exercise of all other graces Christ is bu● a sojourner that turneth aside to tarry but for 〈◊〉 night but by the exercise of this grace he cometh to take up house with us I will tell you what Faith is it is a

can have no other foundation it will build it self upon humility and a Christian will grow proud in this that he is growing humble Thirdly it is a difficulty for a Christian to examine his growing in grace and not to be puffed up It is certain a Christian ought to examine his growth in grace humbly according to that Psal 63.8 My soul followeth hard after thee thy right hand upholdeth me He doth not only take notice of this that his soul did follow after God but of the measure of that pursuit my soul followeth hard after thee and yet sweetly acknowledgeth it was not his own feet which carried him nor his own hand that kept him from falling 3. Ye are not to build your faith upon your works and upon the righteousness of the Law I need not stand long to refute that practical Popery that is amongst us that thinketh we can go to heaven through a covenant of works I told you not long since what your going to heaven through a covenant of works speaketh even this horrible blasphemy that it was an act of monstruous folly to send Christ to die for sinners for if you can go to heaven without him was not then Christ crucified in vain And I would tell you now that this speaketh out your damnable ignorance of the weakness and deceitfulness of your own hearts O ye that are so great defenders of Salvation by the covenant of works I beseech you what is the reason that ye break the covenant of works oftener then any For there is none that thinketh they will go to heaven this way but those that are the greatest breakers of the covenant of works And is not that inconsistent and contradictory Divinity your faith contradicting your practice and your practice telling you that your faith is a lie 4. We must not mix our own righteousness with Christs as the object of our believing This is indeed an evil that often lodgeth in the bosom of the most refined hypocrite when Satan cannot prevail to exclude Christ altogether then he is content with that whorish Woman to divide the child and let the object of our Faith be half of Christ and half of self And the truth is many of these poor unwise sons who stay long in the place of breaking forth of children do willingly hearken to this overture for fear it be presumption for such poor wretches to meddle too boldly with the riches of Christ but it were good such weak ones would consider that word Rom. ● 2 where the holy Gost calleth the making 〈◊〉 of his righteousness an act of submission they 〈◊〉 not submitted saith he unto the righteousness of Christ O will ye not lay this to heart that our Lord will take your believing or your putting on his righteousness for an act of great humility and will take your misbelief as a marvelous act of the highest pride and presumption 5. We are not to make providence the object of our faith I know there are some that ask the ground of their right of heaven they will tell us that God hath been kind to them all their dayes I would only say to such He may be feeding you unto the day of slaughter and no man knoweth love or hatred by any thing that is before him Thus much of the object of Faith negatively And now to speak to it positively we see the Text holdeth out Christ himself as that excellent and compleat object of Faith This is his Commandment that we believe on the Name of his Son And thus Faith closeth with Christ under a fourfold consideration First it closeth with God in Christ not with God immediatly and nakedly for he dwelleth in light inaccessible that no man can approach unto He is higher than the Heaven what can we do and deeper than hell what can we know Job 11. Therefore we must approach unto him thorow a vail even the vail of Christ his flesh Heb. 10. God is a consuming fire and of purer eyes then that he can behold iniquity a●… therefore we must first cast our eyes upon tha● blessed Dayes-man that laid his hands upon us both and look unto God as in Christ reconciling 〈◊〉 world to himself and so draw near unto hi●… through a Mediator who is the first and the last and he that liveth and was dead and is alive fo● evermore able to save to the uttermost all th●… come unto God by him seeing he liveth for ever to make intercession for them Secondly Faith closeth with Christ as tendered freely in a covenant of promise we would have had nothing to do with Christ if he had not been given of the Father and offered himself in a free covenant of promise but he being thus holden forth upon terms of free Love which doth utterly abominate hire and so noble a proclamation issued forth under the great seal of Heaven That whosoever will may come and drink of the water of life freely Upon this the poor creature draweth near by vertue of a right and stretching out the arm● of most enlarged affections doth run upon him with that joyful shout My Lord my God and then maketh an absolute resignation of it self to him which is holden out in the Scripture by that sweet expression of kissing of the Son And there are three parts of Christs blessed body that the Christian must endeavor to kiss and embrace the mouth of Christ the hand of Christ and the feet of Christ The kissing of his feet importeth the exercise of love the kissing of his hands the exercise of subjection and the kissing of his mouth the exercise of communion and fellowship with him Thirdly Faith closeth with Christ as the purchaser and meritorious cause of all the good we receive He is the person that hath purchased all these things unto us and there is not one blink of love there is nor the smallest enjoyment that a Christian meeteth with but it is the price of the blood of Christ Christs precious blood was laid down for it Fourthly Faith closeth with Christ as the efficient and worker of all our mercies all our enjoyments are from him as the efficient cause that is he is the worker of all things in us it is his preciouss fingers that must accomplish that blessed work of grace and they are from Christ as the dispenser of these things Christ is the great steward of heaven that doth communicate unto believers all the treasures of the higher House For him hath God the Father sealed O! but that word that Christ once spake is much verified by himself It is more blessed to give then to receive Christ is that fountain and treasure in whom all our gifts and graces are ●reasured up for before the blessing come to believers they come to Christ as the head according to that word 2 Tim. 1.9 Which grace was given to us in him before the foundations of the world were laid It was given to Christ before the world was made and