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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	place_n	scripture_n	word_n	9,705	5	4.5641	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65287	The Christian's charter shewing the priviledges of a believer by Thomas Watson.	Watson, Thomas, d. 1686.	1654 (1654)	Wing W1113; ESTC R27057	106,135	340

upholds all things by the Word of his Power should himself be upheld that a Virgin should conceive that Christ should be made of a woman and of that woman which himself made that the creature should give a being to the Creatour that the Starre should give light to the Sunne that the branch should beare the Vine that the mother should be younger then the childe she bare and the childe in the womb bigger then the mother that he who is a Spirit should be made flesh that Christ should be without father and without mother yet have both without mother in the God-head without father in the Man-hood that Christ being incarnate should have two natures the divine and humane and yet but one Person that the divine nature should not be infused into the humane nor the humane mixed with the divine yet assumed into the Person of the Sonne of God the humane nature not God yet one with God Here is I say a chaine of Miracles I acknowledge the mercy of the incarnation was great we having now both affinity and consanguinity with Jesus Christ Christs incarnation is the Saints inauguration The love of Christ in the incarnation was great for herein he did set a patterne without a parallel in clothing himself with our flesh which is but walking ashes he hath sowed as it were sackcloth to cloth of Gold the humanity to the Deity But though the incarnation be so rich a blessing yet it is hard to say which is greater the Mercy or the Mystery It is a sacred depth how doth it transcend reason and even puzzle faith We know but in part we see this only in a glasse darkly but in heaven our knowledge shall be cleared up we shall fully understand this divine riddle 3. The Mystery of Scripture The hard knots of Scripture shall be untied and darke Prophecies fulfilled There is a sacred depth in Scripture which we must adore some places of Scripture are hard in the sense others dark in the phrase and cannot well be translated in regard of ambiguity one Hebrew word having such various and sometimes contrary significations that it is very difficult to know which is the genuine sense As it is with a traveller which is not skilled in his way when he comes to a turning where the way parts he is at a stand and knowes not which way to take I might give some instances It is true all things purely necessary in the Word of God are cleare but there are some sacred depths that we cannot fathom and this may make us long after Heaven when our light shall be clear So for Prophecies some are very abstruse and profound Divines may shoot their arrowes but it is hard to say how neare they come to the mark 't is dubious whether in such a particular age and century of the Church such a Prophecie was fulfilled The Iewes have a saying when they meet with an hard Scripture they understand not Elias veniet solvet nodos Elias will come and interpret these things to us we expect not Elias but when we are in Heaven we shall understand Prophecies our knowledg shall be clear 4. The great Mystery of Providence shall be cleared up Providence is Regina mundi the Queen of the world it is the hand that turns all the wheels in the universe Chrysostome calls it the Pilot that steeres the ship of the Creation Providences are often darke God writes sometimes in short-hand the characters of Providence are so various and strange and our eyes are so dimme that we know not what to make of Providence hence we are ready to censure that which we do not understand we think that things are very excentrick and disorderly Gods Providence is sometimes secret alwayes wise The dispensations of Providence are often sad judgement beginning at the house of God and the just man perishing in his righteousnesse Eccles. 7.15 that is while he is pursuing a righteous cause though his way be pious it is not alwayes prosperous and on the other side those that work wickednesse are set up yea they that tempt God are delivered Mal. 3.15 though now our candle be in a dark lanthorn and the people of God cannot tell what God is a doing yet when they are in heaven they shall see the reason of these transactions they shall see that every Providence served for the fulfilling of Gods Promise viz. that all things shall work together for good Rom. 8.28 In a Watch the wheeles seeme to move crosse one to another but all carry on the motion of the Watch all serve to make the Alarm strike so the wheeles of Providence seeme to move crosse but all shall carry on the good of the elect all the lines shall meet at last in the centre of the Promise in heaven as we shall see Mercy and Justice so we shall see Promises and Providences kissing each other Our light shall be cleare When a man is at the bottome of an hill he cannot see very farre but when he is on the top he may see many miles distant Here the Saints of God are in the valley of tears they are at the bottome of the hill and cannot tell what God is a doing but when they come to Heaven and shall be on the top of the mount they shall see all the glorious transactions of Gods Providence never a Providence but they shall see either a wonder or a mercy wrapt up in it A Limner at the first makes but a rude draught in the picture here an eye there an hand but when he hath limn'd it out in all its parts and lineaments and laid them in their colours it 's beautifull to behold We that live in this age of the Church see but a rude draught as it were some dark pieces of Gods Providence represented and it is impossible that we should judge of Gods work by pieces but when we come to Heaven see the full body and portraiture of Gods Providence drawne out in its vive colours it will be a most glorious sight to behold Providence shall be unridled 5. The Mystery of hearts We shall see an heart anatomy Eccles. 12.14 For God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing We shall see the designes and cabinet-counsels of mens hearts discovered then the hypocrites mask shall fall off O the black conclave that is in the heart of man The heart is deep it may be compared to a River which hath faire streames running on the top but when this river comes to be drained there lies abundance of vermine at the bottome thus it is with mans heart there are fair streames running on the top a civil life a religious profession but at the day of judgement when God shall draine this river and make a discovery of hearts then all the vermine of ambition covetousnesse shall appeare all shall come out then we shall see whether Iehu's designe was zeal for God or the Kingdome we

upper hand which goes hand in hand with Christ. Good works are not separated from faith only faith challengeth its seniority Faith believes as if it did not work and it works as if it did not believe Faith hath Rachels eye and Leahs womb Rom. 7.4 That ye should be married to another even to him who is raised from the dead that ye should bring forth fruit unto God Faith is that Spouse-like grace which marries Christ and good works are the children which faith bears Thus having briefly shewn you the Nature of Faith I now come to the reflexive Act Have you faith or no And here let me turne my self first to Unbelievers such as cannot find that they have this uniting this espousing grace what shall I say to you Go home and mourn think with your selves what if you should die this night what if God should send you a Letter of summons to surrender what would become of you you want that grace which should intitle you to Christ and Heaven oh I say mourn yet mourn not as them without hope for in the use of means you may recover a Title I know it is otherwise in our Law-Courts if a Title to an Estate be once lost it can never be recovered but it is otherwise here though thou hast no Title to Christ to day yet thou may'st recover a Title thou hast not sin'd away the hope of a Title unless thou hast sinn'd away the sense of sinning To such as are resolv'd to go on in sinne I haue not a word to say they are upon the spur to go to hell but to you that have been prodigall sonnes but are now taking up serious resolutions to give a bill of divorce to your sins let me encourage you to come to Christ and to throw your selves upon his blood for yet a Title to Heaven is recoverable Object 1. But saith the sinner Is there hope of mercy for me sure this is too good news to be true I would believe and repent but I am a great sinner Ans. And who else doth Christ come to save whom doth God justifie but the ungodly did Christ take our flesh on him and not our sins 2. But my sins are of no ordinary die Answ. And is not Christs blood of a deeper purple then thy sins is there not more vertue in the one then there can be venom in the other what if the devil doth magnifie thy sins canst not thou magnifie thy Physician cannot God drown one sea in another thy sinnes in the Ocean of his mercy 3. But my sins are of a long standing Answ. As if Christs blood were only for new and fresh wounds We read that Christ raised not only the daughter of Iairus which was newly* dead and the widows sonne which was carried forth to burying but Lazarus that had layn four dayes in the grave and began to putrefie and hath Christ lesse vertue now in Heaven then he had upon earth if thine be an old wound yet the medicine of Christs blood applied by faith is able to heale it therefote sink not in these quick-sands of despair Iudas his despair was worse in some sense then his Treason I would not encourage any to go on in sinne God forbid 't is sad to have old age and old sins It is hard to pull up an old tree that is rooted it is easier to cut it downe for the fire but let not such despair God can give an old sinner a new heart he can make springs in the desart Have not others been set forth as paterns of mercy who have come in at the twelfth houre Therefore break off the league with sinne throw thy self into Christs arms say Lord Jesus thou hast said Those which come to thee thou wilt in no case cast out 2. Let me turne my self to the people of God such as upon a serious scrutiny with their own hearts have ground to beleeve that they have faith and being in the faith are ingrafted into Christ read over your Charter All things are yours things present and to come You are the heirs on which God hath setled all these glorious priviledges Give wine saith Solomon to them that are of heavy hearts But while I am going to pour in this wine of consolation me thinks I hear the Christian sadly disputing against himself that he hath no right to this Charter CHAP. XXI The Beleevers Objections answered THere are three great Objections which he makes Object 1. Alas saith he I cannot tell whether I have faith or no Answ. Hast thou no faith how didst thou come to see it a blind man cannot see thou canst not see the want of grace but by the light of grace Quest. But sure if I had faith I should discern it Ans. 1. Thou mayest have faith and not know it a man may seek for that sometimes which he hath in his hand Mary was with Christ she saw him she spake with him yet her eyes were held that she did not know it was Christ the child lives in the womb yet doth not know that it lives 2. Faith oft lies hid in the heart and we see it not for want of search the fire lies hid in the embers but blow aside the ashes and it is discernable Faith may be hid under fears temptations but blow away the ashes Thou prizest faith hadst thou a thousand Jewels lying by thou would'st part with all for this Jewel no man can prize grace but he that hath it Thou desirest faith the true desire of faith is faith Thou mournest for want of faith dispute not but beleeve what are these tears but the seeds of faith Object 2. But my faith is weak the hand of it so trembles that I fear it will hardly lay hold upon Christ Answ. There are seven things which I shall say in reply to this 1. A little faith is faith as a sparkle of fire is fire though the pearl of faith be little if it be a true pearl it shines in Gods eyes This little grace is the seed of God and it shall never die but live as a sparkle in the main sea 2 A weak faith will entitle us to Christ as well as a stronger To them that have obtained like precious faith 2 Pet. 1.1 not but that there are degrees of faith as faith purifies so all faith is not alike one is more then another but as faith justifies saith is alike precious the weakest faith justifies as well as the faith of the most eminent Saint a weak hand will receive the almes for a man to doubt of his grace because it is weak is rather to rely upon grace then upon Christ. 3. The Promise is not made to strong faith but to true The Promise doth not say Who ever hath a faith that can remove mountains that can stop the mouth of Lions shall be saved but whoever believes be his faith never so small the Promise is