Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	call_v	faith_n	zion_n	14	3	8.8343	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

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

other and desire God to reconcile them That if we cannot see any connexion between providence and the word yet may we reflect upon the Omnipotency of God that can make things that are seeming contrary sweetly agree together the Commentary will never destroy the Text no● providence will never destroy the faithfulness of God And let me give you this advice that those objections of misbelief which you cannot answer and in a manner putteth you to a non plus and when ye have looked over all the Names of God ye cannot find an answer to them slight them and cover them as we have often told you w● the practice of believing Abraham Rom. 4.19 where that strong objection of misbelief appearing before his eyes the deadness of his body a● the barrenness of Sarahs womb it is recorded 〈◊〉 him he confidered not these things as it were 〈◊〉 had a divine transition from the objections 〈◊〉 misbelief to the acting of faith and this is cle●… from Matth. 15.25.26 where that strong objection of misbelief being proposed against that woman that she was not within the compass of Christs commission she hath a noble way of answering with this Lord have mercy upon me And if so we may speak Faith hath a kind of divine impertinency in answering the objections of misbelief or rather a holy slighting of them that gaineth the victory when cavelling with temptations will not do it The like also may be instanced in his Sons Name O how glorious titles are given to that Prince of the Kings of the earth and to that Plant of renown upon which the weakest faith may cast anchor and ride out the greatest storm I shal not detain you long on this subject but this we would have you know that there is no straint or difficulty that a Christian can be exposed unto but there is some name or attribute of Christ that may sweetly answer that difficulty and make up that disadvantage Is a Christian exposed unto afflictions and troubles in a present world let him comfort himself in this that Christ is the shadow of a great rock in a wearied land Is a Christian under inward anxiety and vexation of mind let him comfort himself in this that Christ is the God of peace and of all consolation Is a Christian under darkness and confusion of spirit let him comfort himself in this that Christ is the Father of lights and is the eternal wisdom of God Is a Christian under the convictions of this that he is under the power and dominion of his lusts let him comfort himself in this that Christ is redemption yea that I stay no longer if it were possible that a Christian could have a necessity that he could not find a Name in Christ to answer it he may lawfully frame a Name to Christ out of any promise in all the book of God and he should find it forth-coming for the relieving and making up of that necessity God would not disappoint his expectation There is yet one thing further in reference to the object of Faith which we shal desire you to take notice of and it is the way of Faiths closing with its noble object and its resting on him and this we conceive may be excellently taken up by our considering of the many several Names that Faith getteth in Scripture beyond any other of the graces of the Spirit It is called looking Isai 45.22 Looking unto me It is called abiding in Christ John 15.4 Abide in me It is called a keeping silence unto God Psal 37.7 My soul trust in God or as the word is in the original My soul be silent unto God and that in Psal 62.1 My soul waiteth or as the word is Truly my soul is silent unto God Likewise Faith is called a leaning Psal 7.15 I have leaned upon thee from my mothers womb Faith it is called an eating of Christs flesh John 6.53 Faith it is called a casting of our burden upon God Psal 55.22 Cast your burden upon God And Faith it is called a coming unto God Matth. 11.28 And according to these different names there are seven noble properties and matchless differences of this grace of Faith The first is that this is the grace by which a Christian doth enjoy much communion with God hence it is called a looking which importeth that Faith is a continual contemplation of the immortal soul upon that precious and excellent object Jesus Christ There is that second property of Faith that it is that grace by which a communion with God is maintained hence it is called an abiding in God It is that grace which maketh Christ and the believer to dwel together The third property of Faith is that it is a most submissive grace hence it is called a keeping silence unto God Faith as it were knoweth not what it is to repine It is the noble excellency of Faith it never knew what it was to misconstruct Christ It is the noble excellency of Faith it never knew what it was to pass an evil report upon Christ Faith it will promise good things to a Christian in the darkest night for when Love asketh Faith that question Isai 21.11.12 Watch-men what of the night Watch-men what of the night Or when shal the morning break Faith answereth it with the words that follow only a little inverting the order The night cometh and also the morning The morning is approaching that admitteth of no following night There is that fourth property of Faith it is the grace that keepeth a Christian in perseverance by its building upon the Rock hence it is called a leaning upon God for a Christian by faith doth perpetually join himself to Christ so that whatever trouble he be cast into by Faith he cometh up out of that wilderness leaning upon his Beloved and by Faith he is led up to the Rock that is higher then he where he may sit in saftey and even laugh at death and destruction when assailing him There is that fifth property of Faith that it is the grace that bringeth satisfaction to the spiritual senses of a Christian by a close and particular application of Christ as the nowrishment of the soul hence it is called an eating of the flesh of Christ There are three senses that Faith satisfieth Faith satisfreth the sense of sight it satisfieth the sense of taste and it satisfieth the sense of touch Faith will make a Christian handle that eternal Word of life Faith will make a Christian see that noble plant of renown and Faith will make a Christian taste and see how gracious the Lord is And no doubt those that have once satisfied their sight they will be longing to satisfie their taste There is that sixth property of Faith it is that grace which giveth rest unto a Christian hence it is called a casting of our burden upon him It is as it were the soul giving unto Christ that unsupportable yoke of our iniquities and taking from Christ that easie

we will not delight our selves in loving of him And I would say this to you that though ye should weep the one half of your dayes and pray the other half yet if ye want this noble grace of Faith your righteousness shall be but like a monstruous cloath and filthy rags before him For what is praying without believing but a taking of his blessed Name in vain What is our conferring upon the most divine and precious truths of God without believing it is not a lying to the Holy Ghost and a flattering of God with our mouth And we would have you knowing this that there is a sweet harmony that is now made up betwixt Moses and Christ betwixt the Law and the Gospel The Law bringeth us to Christ as a Savior and Christ bringeth us back again to the Law to be a rule of our walk to which we must subject our selves So then would ye know the compend of a Christians walk It is a sweet travelling betwixt Mount Sinai and Mount Sion betwixt Moses and Christ betwixt the Law and the Gospel And we conceive that the more deep that the exercise of the Law be in a Christians conscience before his closing with Christ there is so much the more precious and excellent advantages waiting for him I. There is this advantage that waiteth on the deep exercise of the Law that it is the way to win to much establishment in Faith when once we begin to close with Christ O Christians would ye know that which maketh the superstructure and building of grace to be within you as a bowing wall and as a tottering sence of that oftentimes ye are in hazard to raze the foundation it is this ye were not under the exercise of the Law before your believing in Jesus Christ There are some who do not abide three days at Mount Sinai and these shall not dwell many days at Mount Sion II. There is this advantage that waiteth on the deep exercise of the Law it maketh Christ precious to a mans soul What is that which filleth the soul of a Christian with many high and excellent thoughts of Christ Is it not this to have the Law registrating our Bond and putting us as we use to speak to the Horn That is to have the Law cursing us and using the sentence of condemnation against us That which maketh us have such low and undervaluing thoughts of precious Christ is because the most part of us are not acquainted with the deep and serious exercise of the Law that is a mystery to the most part of a Christians practise Ye know that there were four streams which went out from the Paradise of God into which man was first placed and so may we say that there are four golden streams by which lost and destroyed man is brought back again to this Eden and Paradise of everlasting delights First there is the precious stream of Christs righteousness by which we must be justified And secondly there is that stream of his Sanctification by which we must be purified Thirdly there is that stream of the wisdom of Christ by which we must be conducted through this wilderness wherein we have lost our way And fourthly there is that stream of Christs Redemption by which we must be delivered from the power of our enemies and must turn the battel in the gate it is by the Redemption of Christ that we shall once sing that triumphant song O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory O but all these streams will be sweet and refreshing to a soul that is hotly pursued by the Law So long as we see not the ugliness of our leprosie in that glass of the Law we have our own Abana and Parpher that we think may do our turn but when once our case is truly laid open to us then will we be content to wash our selves in Jordan seven times III. There is this advantage that waiteth on the deep exercise of the Law that it maketh a Christian live constantly under the impression of the sinfulness of sin What is it that maketh sin exceeding sinful to a Christian Is it not this he hath been fourty dayes in Moses School And we conceive that the ground why such fools as we make a mock of sin is because we know not what it is to be under the power of his wrath and the apprehensions of the indignation of God But now to come to that which we intend to speak of we told you at the first occasion that we spake upon these words that there were many excellent things concerning the grace of Faith holden forth in them The first thing which was holden forth concerning this radical grace of Faith was the infinite advantage that redoundeth to a Christian through the exercise of Faith and giving obedience to this command which we cleared to be holden forth not only from the scope but also from the nature of this command And now to speak a little to the point we shall propose these cosiderations that may abundantly show how advantagious a thing this excellent grace of Faith is I. The first consideration that speaketh it is this that Faith maketh Christ precious to a soul according to that word 1 Pet. 2.7 To you that believe Christ is precious And we would have you knowing this that Faith maketh Christ more precious to a soul then sense or any other thing can make him And first Faith maketh Christ more precious then sense because the estimation which the grace of Faith hath of Christ it is builded upon the excellency of his Person but the estimation of sense it is builded upon the excellency of his actings so that because he is such to them therefore they love and esteem him But that heroick grace of Faith it taketh up the excellency of Christs person and that maketh him precious to them Secondly Faith makes Christ more precious then sense because sense looketh to that love which Christ manifesteth in his face and in his hands and in his feet But Faith looketh to that love which is in his heart Sence will cry forth Who is like to thee whose countinance is like Lebanon excellent as the cedar whose hands are as gold rings set with beril and whose legs are like pillars of marble set in sockets of gold Sense will look to the smilings of Christ and will wonder it will look to his dispensations and actings and will be constrained to cry out Who is like unto thee But the grace of Faith solaceth it self in the fountain from whence all these springs and sweet inundations of love do flow Thirdly Faith maketh Christ more precious then sense because Faith looketh not only to what Christ is presently but unto what Christ is from eternity before time and what Christ shall be unto eternity after time but sense only doth look to what Christ is presently And ye must conceive that the sweet travelling of Faith betwixt infinite love from eternity before