Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	faith_n	john_n	overcome_v	6,134	5	9.6019	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97271	A touch-stone to try (by our knowledge, belief, and life) whether we be Christians in name onely, or Christians in deed. Or, The character of a true beleever, that walks in some measure answerable to the gospell, his Christian profession, and the millions of mercies he hath received. / By R.Y. of Roxwell in Essex.	Younge, Richard.	1648 (1648)	Wing Y193B; Thomason E1150_4; ESTC R208624	54,772	52

to be the worlds friend is to be Gods enemy yea he esteemes it an honour to be evill spoken of by evill men because when a thing is best they will like it least and a grace to be disgraced for Christ who was farre more disgraced for him Besides the single approbation of one wise experimentall Christian is enough with him to countervaile the disdaine and dislike of a whole Parish of sensualists and an ounce of credit with God more worth then a tallent of mens praises And how little is that man hurt whom malice condemnes on earth and God commends in Heaven If he cannot avoyd their malice and evill words he will be sure not to deserve them which is much at one upon the matter for as the best confutation of their slanders is not by our great words but by our good works so his conscience knowing him innocent like a constant friend takes him by the hand and cheeres him against all his miseries However he will not in the least wrong his conscience to avoyd the imputation of singularity The scoffes of Atheists shall not beat him off from his Profession No if he does well hath Gods Word for his warrant and glory for his aime nothing can daunt or discourage him Neither the threatnings of fire nor the faire and large promises of cunning and cruell adversaries neither paine nor losse can make him shrinke from Christ much lesse the censures and scoffes of lewd persons The conscience of good intentions let their successe be what it will is both a sufficient discharge and comfort to his generous minde 3. § Through the studdy of vertue and Christian prudence he makes the servile passions of his minde feare and anger subject to the more noble faculties of his soule reason and understanding As appeares in the provocation of an enemy for let him be injured he will both forbeare and forgive well considering that it is the glory of a man to passe by an offence and that it is greater fortitude to overcome his owne passions then to vanquish a City Wherefore in stead of returning like for like he will pacifie his enemy with milde words and gentle behaviour which may be resembled to Milke that quencheth Wild-fire or Oyle that quenches Lime which by water is kindled and thinkes it enough for one to be angry at a time He is not like our Ruffians and sonnes of Beliall who when they are displeased with others will fly in their Makers face and teare the name of their Saviour in peeces even swearing away their part in that Blood which must save them if ever they be saved Nor like our Gallants whom the Devill hath so blinded and bewitched that they will contend for the way and strive for the wall even to the death and kill one another as though either of their honours were of more worth then both their soules Or admit one get the victory miserable is that victory wherein thou overcomest thine enemy and thy passions yea the Devill in the meane time overcomes thee perhaps thou slayest his body but the Devill slayes thy soule Nor like those sooles you see walking in Westminster Hall that like two Cockes of the Game peck out one anothers eyes to make the Lawyers sport No sayes he why should I vexe my selfe because another hath vexed me Or why should I doe my selfe a shrewd turne because another would And admit carnall reason shall alleadge to him that his enemy is unworthy to be forgiven rectified reason will answer but Christ is worthy to be obeyed who hath commanded me to forgive him And well may I beare with him when his Maker beares with me and forgive him when Christ hath forgiven me much more Nor can any repute him a coward for this his humble patience the true coward is your Hot-spur that feares the blasts of mens breath and not the fire of Gods wrath that trembles at the thought of a Prison and yet feares not Hell fire But the Beleever is as bold as a Lion if his cause be good yea to speake rightly there is no such coward none so valliant as the Beleever without Gods warrant he dares doe nothing with it any thing He feares none but the displeasure of the highest and runs away from nothing but sinne Indeed he more feares the least sinne then the greatest torment as may be seene in the Martyrs that noble Army But he is so farre from fearing an impotent enemy that he feares not death it selfe no not the Day of Judgement 1 Joh. 4.17 Luke 21.25 to 29. yea he is so strong withall that he is able to prevaile with God Gen. 32.26.28 Exod. 32.10 And overcome the world the flesh and the Devill 1 John 2.14 and 5.4 Gal. 5.24 and all this by his faith and prayer and not seldome does he overcome his enemy too by well-doing for he lives so well that his back-biting adversaries are either put to silence or constrained to praise God and speake well of him 4. § He is more knowing then the men of the world for as he hath the light of the Spirit and the eye of saith above them so the Word of Christ dwelleth in him plentifully in all wisedome and spirituall understanding and he increaseth daily in the knowledge of God and of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ because God reveales himselfe to him in a great measure as to his friend Besides his knowledge is about the best things and one drop of soule wisedome and saving knowledge guided by the feare of God is more worth then all humane learning And to this knowledge unbeleevers are meere strangers Yea be they never so wise and learned in other things they have onely the theory of this wisedome they can prattle of it by roate but they know not what it is by effect and experience Yea if a man want faith holinesse the love of God and the Spirit of God to be his teacher he shall not be able really and by his owne experience to know the chiefe points of Christian Religion such as are faith repentance regeneration the love of God the presence of the Spirit the remission of sinnes the effusion of grace the possession of heavenly comforts not what the peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost is nor what the communion of Saints meanes when every one of these are easie and familiar to the meanest and simplest Beleever And the reason is the Beleever digests his knowledge into practise and imployes it to the glory of the Giver his neighbours good and the furthering of his owne salvation He is neither ungrounded in the Principles of Religion nor unconcionable in the practice Each Booke or Sermon both increaseth his knowledge and lessens his vices Yea he will pick something out of every thing and gather honey from the selfe same thing that others will poyson Anothers hating the truth shall make him love it the more for he is instructed both by similitude and contrariety Whereas let the

being obtained And be he never so rich he is not high minded neither does he trust in uncertaine riches but in the living God For in his prosperity he forgetteth not his former low estate but is ever meditating upon and admiring the Lords goodnesse towards him Yea he sets a Memorandum upon every remarkable mercy that he may not forget it and admires that God should set his delight and love upon him and chose him above many others and this makes him strive to surpasse others in his love and service to God againe Whereas unbeleevers when they are waxed fat with the good blessings of God they will spurne with the heel and forsake God that made them not once regarding the strong God of their salvation but provoke him with strange gods and other abominations but it fares not so with the Beleever neither doth he so requite the Lord. And as he is thankfull to the Author so likewise to any that he shall make instrumentall for his good thinking himselfe bound to remember and requite good turnes 12. § Secondly if he falls into adversity or any kinde of distresse he knowes it is sent of the Lord in love and to doe him good and to give him occasion of rejoycing afterwards He well considers that scarfe any thing more proves us his then his stripes that stripes from the Almighty are so farre from arguing his displeasure that contrarily there are few better tokens and pledges of his adoption and love and that they are bastards and not sonnes who are without correction And so it is that as many as God loves he rebukes and chastens And as it is sent for his good so it doth him good crosses in his estate diseases in his body maladies in his minde are medicines to his soule the impairing of the one is the repairing of the other His sinne dyes with his fame or with his health or with his peace or with his outward estate Yea it both lessons his sins and increaseth his graces for God sends him affliction both for his instruction and reformation to scoure away the rust of corruption and to try the truth of his sanctification for the increase of his patience and the exercise of his faith and the improvement of his zeale and to provoke his importunity and to double his obligation to greaten each other grace and to augment his glory Againe he inflicts a lesse punishment to avoyd a greater and by smarting in his body state or name he is saved from smarting in his soule He is chastned that he may be converted not confounded his worser part to wit his Body state or name is impoverisht that his better part that is his soule may be saved in the day of Judgement But see it in some particulars as first how it makes him humble and thankfull for he not only calls to minde his owne unworthinesse of the least mercy he still injoyes and how he hath provoked the Giver for he is ever meditating of what Christ hath done and suffered for him and how he hath provoked Christ But he also compares what he suffers with what he might have suffered arguing thus with himselfe he that hath taken this from me might have taken more he that afflicts me for a time could have held me longer he that hath touched me in part could have stricken me in whole he that laid this upon my body hath power to lay a greater Rod both upon my body and soule without doing me the least wrong And so goes on I was borne a childe of wrath and whereas God might have left me in that perishing condition and chosen others he hath of his free grace adopted me and left others And this makes him cry out O the depth as a mercy beyond all expression saying further O my soule thou hast not roome enough for thankfulnesse And the truth is if we could but seriously thinke upon our deliverance from Hell fire it alone would be thought cause enough to make us both patient and thankfull though the things we now delight in be taken from us And sure I am nothing can be too much to endure for those pleasures in Heaven which shall endure for ever O that we could keepe fast in our memories but these two things and upon all occasions make use of them and consider withall that the least mercy is beyond our best merit And no better remedy for impatience then to cast up our receits and compare them with our deservings But secondly Gods corrections are his instructions his lashes lessons his scourges school-masters his chastisements advertisements to him by feeling of smart he learnes to decline the cause Yea this hath taught him to fly from the workes of darknesse at a great distance and to consider as well the bitternesse of what will follow as the sweetnesse of a momentary pleasure and so cleared his sight that he can now discerne sinne in all he thinkes and speakes and does for he is ever bewailing his wants and weaknesses the hardnesse of his heart want of faith c. Thirdly it abundantly increaseth his joy and comfort for admit Satan and the world should deprive him of all outward comforts at once yet God at the same time will supply the want of these with comforts farre surpassing and transcending them as first the assurance of the pardon of sinne alone is able to cleare all stormes of the minde it teacheth misery as sicknesse poverty famine imprisonment infamy c. even to laugh for then let death happen it matters not when a Malefactor hath sued out his pardon let the Assizes come when they will the sooner the better But to this is added the peace of conscience the marrow of all comforts otherwise called the peace of God which passeth all understanding and surpasseth all commending for never did man finde pleasure upon earth like the sweet testimony of an appeased conscience reconciled unto God cleansed by the blood of the Lambe and quieted by the presence of the Holy Ghost As the Martyrs felt who even clapt their hands for joy in the midst of the flames and were even ravisht before they were permitted to dye so great and so passing all expressing is the peace and comfort of a good conscience Againe thirdly affliction bringeth with it the company of God himselfe I will be with you in tribulation saith God Psal 91.15 As when those three were cast into the fiery Furnace Dan. 3. there was presently a fourth came to beare them company and that was God himselfe ver 23. to 27. and his presence makes any condition comfortable were a man even in Hell it selfe See more Acts 13.52 And as his sufferings abound so his consolation also aboundeth 2 Cor. 1.5 Indeed the unbeleever laughs more but that laughter is onely the hypocrisie of mirth they rejoyce in the face onely and not in the heart nor can it be solid comfort except it hath his issue from a good conscience whereas Gods Word teacheth and a