Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	believe_v	eternal_a	see_v	6,178	5	3.7252	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01027	A fruitfull sermon made by the reverend and learned Mr. Iohn Forbes. Pastour of the English company of merchants adventures at Delft. Published by some of his flock out of sincere affection for common good	Forbes, John, 1568?-1634.	1626 (1626)	STC 11130; ESTC S116489	28,013	106

this knowledge in his disciples as also why the world is destitute of it speaking concerning the spirit saying whom the world cannot receaue because it sees him not neither knowes him but yee know him because he dwelleth with you and shal bee in you Iohn 14 17. This place being conferd with the former two teacheth us 3 speciall things touching the estate of a true Christian The 1 is that they are not ignorant of the things of God nor of any grace or blessing spirituall given them by God in Christ the 2 is That all this knowledge is taught thē by the spirit of God which is given them remaines within them The 3 that both the gift of this spirit and knowledge by him proceedes from this that God hath not left us in the world nor in the estate of servitude bondage but hath taken us out of the world and by reconcyling us to himself in Christ hath made us his friends as Abrahā was The use of this is to convince the doctrine of the papisticall church of falshood whereby they maintaine that a Christian truely called can haue no certaine knowledge whether he bee in the estate of grace or not for if the Apostle urge the Corinthians by this speciall knowledge of their owne being in the faith and of Christs being in them to bee witnesses of the power of Christ in his ministry toward them it must necessarily follow that both they and all others called as they were must haue vndoubted knowledge of themselves that they are in the faith and Christ in them otherwise Christs argument before alleadged could not bee true when he saith that his disciples did know the spirit of truth because he dwelt with them and should be in thē which argumēt teacheth us thus much that the saints cannot bee ignorant of any gift or grace of God which dwelleth with them and is in them so that wee may Iustly concluded that a Papist houlding the former position for a truth must bee both faythles and gracelesse seing if eyther faith or grace were in them they could not be ignorant of them neither can they haue anie evasion by their old argument of the necessitie of some speciall revelation from God For this which we haue said before compared with the words of Iohn doth fully answer them saying If we receive the witnes of men the witnesse of God is greater For this is the witnes of God which he testifieth of his sonne He that beleeveth in that sone of God hath witnes in himselfe By which words we are plainly taught that faith can never be without the testimonie both of those three which beare record in heaven to wit the Father the Word and the Holy-ghost nor of these three witnesses which beare record in earth viz. The spirit the water and the bloud and therefore that it must follow that everie true beleever hath a most undoubted revelation of his salvation and blessed estate in grace and on the contrarie that whosoever hath not this vndoubted warrant is faithles indeed seeing as saith the Apostle whosoever beleeveth in the sonne of God hath this witnes of the Father of the Word and of the Holy ghost which are in heaven of the spirit and of the water and of the blood which are in earth then which there can be no revelation of greater force to confirm the certaintie of ones salvation For if according to Gods owne law at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter shal be established how much more must a true beleeving christian know the certaintie of his salvation who hath it witnessed vnto him and that within himself by those sixe witnesses before mentioned of which none can lye and this is so much the clearer by that which Iohn in the same place speaketh ver 13 saying these things haue I written unto you who beleeve in the name of the sonne of God that ye may knowe that ye haue eternall life Whereby he utterly annulleth that blind argument of the Papists seing it enforceth thē eyther to confesse that they know they haue eternal life or then plainely to confesse that they beleeue not in the sonne of God for faith and knowledge of salvation are two unseparable adjuncts and ever such knowledge as is not builded upon a doubtfull opinion or conjecture but which is buylt upon the unfallible testimony of the six witnesses mētioned before Wee conclude therefore this point with the confortable use thereof to all true beleeving Christians viz. that they rejoyce always I say againe with the Apostle that they rejoyce always seeing their salvation is sure and that it s given unto them to knowe that it is sure Thus much for the Apostles argument for remooving of all pretence of ignorance Now followes the 2 point of tryall which is whether Christ bee in them or not but it s propounded in another manner then the first for touching faith he willd them to try if they were in it but this last he propounds as a thing which he would haue them undoubtedly to acknowledge and no marveil for the effects are more easie to be known then their causes now Christ he dwells in our hearts by faith and therefore wee can never have a true evidence that we beleeue untill we find that Christ is assuredly within us for this cause wee said before that this 2 point of tryall was the meane to know the former Moreover the Apo. subjoins this point unto his former argument whereby he remooves all pretence of Ignorāce purposely to teach us both whē and wherein it is that a Christian comes to know himself to bee in the faith and so receaves experiēce of the power of Christ in the ministry of the Gospell to his salvation whereof before wee spake wee will first somewhat consider the order of the Apostles words Wee see that in the first place he puts them to the tryall of their faith as being the evidence of the power of Christ in his ministry toward them to their salvation 2. In this examination he brings them to the acknowledging of themselves as the proper effect of true faith in all true beleevers 3. He brings thē to the acknowledgment of Christs presence in their hearts as the onely true testimony of the first proper matter of the 2. For if any man thinks he beleeves not having Christ within him he is miserably deceaved and if any man think he knowes himself to bee the child of God except he find himself and Christ united by faith pittifully abuseth himself by his owne judgment This order therefore of the Apostles proceeding teacheth us this lesson what way and by what meanes it is that wee come to the knowledge of the mighty power and outstreched arme of God in the ministry of his word to our salvation in the which 3 things are principally to be marked Our faith our selvs and that in our selves which makes us know our selves by faith to bee

recreation of the flesh and had rather loose the opportunity of gayning Christ in a sermon then fayle to accomplish the least desire of their sinfull hearts in fulfilling the lusts of the flesh whose judgment must needs bee heavy and greivous before God seing willingly they choose death with the contempt of life And thus much for the points of tryall now followes the fourth point which is the argument it self whereby the Apostle enforceth them to acknowledge that Christ in his ministry was not weake towards thē but mighty in them which may be fully gathered after this manner in 2 several arguments the first whereof is containd in the preceding words in this forme If ye by tryall find yourselves to be in the faith and Christ in you thē must ye acknowledg that Christ is not weake but mighty in my ministry towards you but by tryall ye shall find that you are in the faith and Christ in you therefore yee must acknowledge Christ to bee mighty in my ministry toward you The 2. Argument is the cōfirmation of the 2 part of this that is that by tryall they shall find themselves in the faith and Christ in them after this māner eyther ye must find your selvs in the faith Christ in you or thē ye must bee reprobate Christiās but wee confidently trust yee shall find yee are not reprobate Christiās therefore ye must find yourselvs to bee in the faith and Christ in you Al the 3 parts of this argument may be easily gathered out of the Apo. words for the proposition is plaine in the 5 verse the assumtion or 2 part is set downe in termes equivalent in the 6 verse the conclusion is implyed in the Apostles urged interrogation what c. in the 5 verse of which conclusion we haue spoken already touching the assumption or 2 part we are not to speake so it rests that we only entreat of the proposition or first part which seemes at the first to be a difficile and hard saying but yet is most certaine true for if that sentēce of the Apo. be marked which is set downe in the 13 of the Acts to wit that all they who were ordeyned to eternall life beleeved we shall finde that the Apo. reasons according to the truth of the Gospell that it followes necessarily that whosoeuer by the true ministry of the Gospell are not made to believ to embrace Christ must bee of the nōber of those whom God never ordeynd to eternall life this is cleare by 2 places of scripture besides many other the 1. is in the Epistle to Tytus Cap. 1. verse 1. where the Apostle calls faith the faith of Gods elect which is as much as to tell us not onely that the Gospell begets faith in none but such only as are elected but also that it doth beget faith in every one that is elected The 2 is in the Gospell of Ioh. 10 26 27 viz. But ye beleeue not because ye are not of my sheepe as I said unto you for my sheepe heare my voyce I know them and they follow mee this is cōfirmed by the words of Christ in the 6 of Iohn verse 35 36 37. he that beleeveth in mee shall never thirst but I sayd unto you that ye also haue seene mee and beleeue not all that the father giveth me shall come unto me where he playnely affirmeth the cause why they did not beleeue to be because the father had not given thē unto him or which is equivalent because they were not of his sheepe both which phrases import asmuch as that they wer none of Gods elect so that wee may conclude in the very words of the Apo. answering this demand hath God cast away his people what then saith the Apostle Israell hath not abtayned that he sought but the election hath obtayned it the rest haue bene hardned Out of all which wee are plainely taught by God that in whom the Gospell truely preached worketh no faith in whom by faith it planteth not Christ they must be reprobats hereby we learn that tho Gospell preached is the fan of Christ by which in this life he maketh a division of the chaffe from the corn severeth those whom the father hath given him from the wicked and such as are forsaken of God what then have they to boast of who vilipending the Gospell ministry thereof as foolishnes do therby testify against themselves that they are reprobats but wisdom is justified of her owne children for whomsoever the Gospell begetteth they do acknowledg it to be both the wisdom power of God unto salvation to them the feete of those that publish it are beautifull To conclude this point we may justly dispise those dispysers al their contempt of our ministry seing it doth no hurt to us nor our blessed ministry but doth discover them to us although not to thēselvs that they are rejected of God for if the Apo. conclude aright in the first Epist 1 Chap. to the Thes that he knew that they were elected of God because his Gospell was unto them not in word onely but also in power doth not also this conclusion stand on the contrary that they are not elect of God to whō the Gospell is onely in word not in power the words of Peter do demonstrate the truth of this matter plainly when he setteth downe this different judgmēt of men touching Christ Iesus our faviour saying unto you therefore which beleeve it is precious but unto them which be disobedient the stone which the builders disallowed the same is made the head of corner a stone to stumble at Rocke of offence even to them which stumble at the word being disobedient unto the which thing they were even ordayned We need no clearer evidēce therefore to make knowne unto us who are elect who are reprobate forsaken of God but this even the judgmēt estimation of every man concerning the Gospell ministry thereof What shall we say then of this miserable age wherein we do live in which there be so few that make any accompt at all of the blessed word of God messengers of Christ who of all men are coūted the basest their calling the most contemptible O Germany Germany this is the cheiffest cause of thy presēt misery that thou above all natiōs art cōtinually troad upō because of all nations thou didst most basely esteem of Christs servāts use them in most slavish manner Lord upon the eies of these Provinces wher we dwell that seing thēselvs guilty of the same offence they may in tyme prevēt the lyke judgment upon the like sin by unfained amendemēt surely we may say that there is no hope of delivery for the one nor of farther blessing to the other from God untill this iniquity be redressed oh that they wold give us occasiō with cōfidēce to pray to God for his mercie to them boldly to say to him thou wilt aryse have mercy upon Zion for the tyme to have mercy therō for the appoynted time is cōe for thy servāts delight in the stones thereof have pity on the dust therof certainly that promise of the Lord in his prophet I say is cōstantely true viz. that in the day wh●● the bud of the Lord shal be beautifull glorious the 〈…〉 shal be excellent 〈…〉 that day the Lord 〈…〉 every place of moūt Zion 〈…〉 assemblies thereof a cloud smoke by day the shyning of a flameing fyre by night for upon all the glory shal be a defence a covering shal be for a shadow in the day for the heate a place of refuge a covert for the storm and for the raine And now beloved I end with this warning from that same prophet to you to them and al the churches of God if thou turn away thy foote frō the sabbath from doing thy will on myne holy day call the sabbath a delight to cōsecrate it ●s glorious to the Lord and shalt honour him not doing thyn owne wayes not seeking thyn own will nor speaking a vain word then shalt thou delight in the Lord and I will 〈…〉 to mount upon the high places of the earth feed thee with the 〈…〉 vid thy father 〈…〉 Lord hath 〈…〉 AMEN 2. Cor. 2. 14. 2. Cor. 12. 13. 2. Cor. 12. 11. 2. Cor. 10 Cap 1 10. vers 2. Cor. 13 9. 2. Cor. 12. 11. Deut. 19. vers 15. Cor. 2. cap. 4. vers 7. 2. Cor 2. cap. 10. vers 4. 1 Cor. 1. cap. 3. vers 5 1 Cor. 1 24 Ibidem 18. 1. Iohn 4 1. Psal 34 8. 1 Pet. 2 2 ● Psal 19. 10. Rom. 10 15 Esai 52 7. Galat. 4 13 14 15. 1 Cor. 14. 32. 1. Io. 4 1. 1. Cor. 10. 4 5. Rom. 1 19. Ibidem 11 21. 1. Pet. 1 3 4 Rom. 5. 5. Habr 4. 12. Rom. 14 4. Mat. 7 12. 1 Cor. 4 3. Ibidem 11 30 38. 2 Thes 3 14 15. 2 Tim. 2 19 1. Cor 2 14 15. Heb. 11. 1. 1. Cor. 1 18 Cap. 53 1. E●an Iohn 16 27. Iohn 17 6. 7 8. 1. Rom. 16. Mat. 6 20. Acts. 8 Mat. 13 47. Mat. 20 16 Rom. 14. 23 1. Cor. 1 30. 2. Tim. 1. 4. 5. Col. 1. 23. Ibidem 2 6 7. 2. Cor. 3. 5. Iohn 15. 5. Phil. 4. 13. Rom. 12. 3. Gen. 4 9. 1 Iohn 2 27 Iohn 1. 5. 9. 10. Dent. 19. 5. Iohn 14 20. 1. Pet. 2 7. 8. Isa ● 14. Isa ● 〈…〉 13.