Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	fall_v	let_v	stand_v	1,485	5	5.8780	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33270	A brief and pithy treatise about comfort which Gods children have, or at least earnestly desire, and long after whilst they are in this world : together with the observations of comfort and the removal of them / by John Clark ...	Clark, John, 1630-1669.	1670 (1670)	Wing C4467; ESTC R11148	24,538	144

up to our own jealousies and suspicions to be our tormentors and then no wonder if we be troubled untill we return to meet the living spring of our comforts again SECT V. Of the connexion between grace and comfort I shall now pass on towards the remedy of these evils and so to make enquiry after that true comfort which all believers desire but not many attain unto at least in that degree and measure which they might were it not for some or other of the forementioned hindrances In order hereunto I shall lay down some preparatory propositions concerning the connexion between grace comfort the want of knowing or believing whereof is sometimes matter of ill consequence to the people of God in respect of their comfort 1. Prop. Wheresoever there is true grace in how weak and small a degree soever it be there is a foundation for solid comfort yea even for assurance and the comforts that do naturally flow there from Many have proved sufficiently against the Arminians that whosoever hath true grace shall certainly be saved because it is impossible respecting the decrees and promises that a truely sanctifyed person should totally and finally fall from grace and so be damned This is said not of any certain degree of grace but of the truth of grace how small soever the degree be for grace in the smallest degree is as truely grace as in the greatest degree Now the consequence is undeniably good that if they who have the least degree of true saving grace shall certainly be saved then the least degree of that grace is a foundation in it self sufficient for comfort and assurance For assurance of salvation and the comforts thence arising do naturally flow from the assured knowledge of the truth of grace and there is none that hath true grace in what degree soever but he is in a capacity of knowing that he hath that grace I know that the comfort of assurance is not an ordinary companion of the weakest grace however sometimes at first conversion when we may reasonably suppose grace to be in the smallest degree it pleases God to make the infusion of grace so manifest to the converted person as that they have thereby the comfortable assurance of their salvation although that assurance do continue sometimes but a very short while and is seldom of long continuance before it be darkened again by temptation However if there were not a sufficient foundation for assurance there could not be any true comfort upon that account no not for a moment 2. Prop. The smaller degrees of grace are very hardly discernable This comes to pass in some by reason of the many lusts corruptions which upon the first entrance of grace are not all at once expelled or subdued but continue opposing themselves and making head against grace for the rooting of it out again which though they cannot effect yet do they often prevail against grace yet in its infancy and by their strength and multitude do so overwhelm and as it were bury that small grace that the poor soul is not able certainly to say whether there be any such thing or no. In other some a good naturall disposition specially if meliorated and mended by civill or religious education doth bear so neer a resemblance to true grace that it is no easie matter to discern the one from the other so that the sincere soul being ever suspicious of it self doth not dare to conclude that there is any thing at all better in it than morall vertue And then beside all this the grand enemy of our comfort and salvation will be sure to take advantage of these and all other occasions of suspicion and by his temptations and suggestions to improve them to the utmost disadvantage to the soul whereby if possible to hinder it from the comfortable evidence of the truth of Grace 3. Prop. There is no degree of grace so large evident and conspicuous but that it may sometimes disappear Even the Sun it self hath suffered an Eclipse when the Sun of righteousnesse in his desertion cryed out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me How much less then can any of the stars though of the first and greatest magnitude be secure from being obscured sometimes by a thick cloud Great graces do not absolutely secure the owners thereof from great falls and no wonder then if great falls bring an Eclipse upon greatest graces and so obscure the elearest evidences and brightest comforts that might flow from them Remember Adam Noah Lot David Peter c. and let him that stands take heed lest he fall and when thy mountain doth stand strongest know that possibly God may hide his face and leave thee under the power of troubles These three propositions I have laid down as a ground work whereupon to build and they are useful to the production of these three corollaries 1. That there are none of Gods people excluded from comfort how weak and small soever their graces may be that none may reject their own mercies and say comfort belongs not to me because I have not yet attained to such a degree of grace formuch as every child of God is though not equally capable yet capable of equall comforts with others the weakest with the strongest and the middle size with both Yea God is pleased sometimes to impart those comforts to infant-grace which he may deny to others throughout their whole course though they may arrive to good attainments in grace unto whom that speech of Christ may fitly be applyed that the first are last and the last are first 2. That degree of grace which constitutes the middle size and so includes the generality of true Christians though in it self it render persons more capable of solid comfort than the former yet is more liable to fears doubts and troubles than any other which will not seem strange if we consider this threefold ground thereof 1. That that peace comfort which they have is commonly rather negative than positive consisting rather in the absence of trouble than in the sureness and solidity of the grounds whereupon they build For alas it is too common even with those that have true grace to content themselves with common probabilities and such hopes as spring there-from without frequent renewing the ingrafting and justifying acts of faith or rifling into their evidences to find out those of them that are unerring and will not fail them when they come to a pinch Like a man that hath been long in possession of an estate though he have good writings for it in his box yet contents himself with his present quiet possession and is not able on the sudden to prove the firmness and goodness of his title when it comes to be questioned 2. Hence it comes to pass that when their peace comes to be disturbed they are not able so clearly to discern and make out the truth of their graces as to shut out and repel the assault of temptations