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	great_a	overcome_v	2,679	5	9.0725	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12205	Tvvo sermons vpon the first words of Christs last sermon Iohn XIIII. I. Being also the last sermons of Richard Sibbs D.D. Preached to the honourable society of Grayes Inne, Iune the 21. and 28. 1635. Who the next Lords day follwing, died, and rested from all his labours	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Nye, Philip, 1596?-1672.	1636 (1636)	STC 22515; ESTC S102407	24,191	77

faith is the grace that apprehends the joyes thereof and hope expects that which faith beleeves and that hope becomes an anchor to the soule that stayeth the soule in all the waves and troubels of the world and what is the ground of that hope but faith Faith stirreth up hope and hope pitcheth on the promise especially of life everlasting And thus faith becomes a quieting and a stilling grace because it raiseth the soule by representing and making reall to it better things then the world can give or take as it doth also at other times present heavier things then the world can threaten faith makes things present to the soule and because it layes hold on divine things greater then any thing here below therefore it overcomes the world and all things in the world yea hell it self because it layes hold on heaven and happinesse upon the power of God and the mercy of God in Christ and upon those rich promises What is in the world or in the rank of good things but faith out-bids it by setting heaven against it and what evill is there but faith overcomes the feare of it by setting hell against it I shall have such a good if I yeeld to such a lust I but what is that to heaven saith Faith For faith being the Hypostasis the substance of things to come makes them substantiall and evident to the soule as if they were alreadie subsistent being looked upon in the certaintie of the word and so it affects the soul deeply and upholds it strongly even as if the things themselves were present and so it banisheth and dispels all discomforts the 11. Chapter to the Hebrews is a Comment upon this truth in the example of Moses and many others What greater object of feare might be presented to a man then the angry face and countenance of a terrible Tyrant Yet when by the eye of faith he saw him that was invisible and then looked upon Pharaoh what was Pharaoh to God When Micaiah had seene God sitting on his Throne what was Ahab to him And when the soule hath entred into the vaile and sees the glorious things of heaven and happinesse what are all things below Faith sets the Soule on a Rocke above the reach of waves upon the love of God in Christ. And therefore set the grace of Faith on worke keepe it on the wing preserve it on exercise and faith exercised will be able to comfort the most dejected soule in the world and to raise it above all the troubels that can be imagined or befall us The Second SERMON IOHN Ch. 14. Ver. 1 Let not your hearts be tronbled ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me THe words of dying men departing out of the world as being most serious and weighty are most to be regarded The children of God the neerer they are to heaven the more suteable they are to their heavenly condition So was our Saviour Christ and therefore he labours to furnish his Disciples and in them us with good counsell to establish their hearts against the troubles and scandals to come If you consider the time when he spake these words it was when he himself was to be troubled more then ever was any creature yet ye forgets himselfe and his future troubles and thinks how to raise up and comfort them He foresaw that Peter would deny him that the rest would leave him he foresaw that they would be dejected when he was gone yet let not your hearts be troubled Oh what a blessed and sweet Saviour have we that thinks more of us then of himselfe that he forgets his own troubles and sufferings and extremities and thinks of the supporting and upholding of his Disciples This came from the same love that drew him from heaven to earth which moved him to take our nature and in that nature to dye for us and what may we not expect from that sweet and large love out of the same bowels of pittie and compassion was it that they should not be over much dejected that he saith Let not your hearts be troubled He knew his Disciples were in the state of grace already yet he foresaw they were such as would sinne Nay that Peter would deny him Yet the foresight of Peters and their unkindnesse did not take away his love and pittie and compassion towards them Yet notwithstanding he gives them sweet counsell nay after they had dealt unkindly with him and denyed and forsooke him Indeed he took no advantage of their weaknesse He knew they had a secret love to him that they had in them a root of affection and he was so farre from taking advantage for it that presently after he saith Tell my brethren that I ascend to my God and their God yea and tell Peter so too that hath dealt most unkindly of all with me What a gracious and mercifull Saviour have we that foresees what ill we will do and when we have done it takes no advantage against us but is carefull to keepe us from too much dejection though he knew we would deale so unkindly by him and indeed he did of purpose take our nature that he might be a mercifull high Priest Christians must distinguish bewixt dejection and griefe It had beene a sinne for them not to have grieved as well as it was a sinne for them to be over much troubled None are more sensible then a Christian Sentit dum vincit he feels troubles whiles he overcomes them Christ speakes to the heart because the heart is the seat of trouble Let not your hearts be troubled Christ could speake to the eares and heart at once his words were operative and conveighed comfort with them Together with his words he let in his holy Spirit that comforted them Gods commands in the ministery of his word suppose not that we have any abilitie to execute them but together with his word there comes forth a power As when Christ said Lazarus arise there went forth a power that caused Lazarus to arise As in the Creation he said Let there be light for the Word and the Spirit go together Having taken them off from trouble he shews a way how to raise them which is by faith Ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me The object in beleeving is God and Christ Mediator we must have both to found our faith upon We cannot beleeve in God except we beleeve in Christ for God must be satisfied by God and by him that is God must that satisfaction be applied the Spirit of God by working faith in the heart and for the raising of it up when it is dejected all is supernaturall in faith The things we beleeve are above nature the promises are above nature the worker of it the holy Ghost is above nature and every thing in faith is above nature there must be a God in whom we beleeve and a God through whom if God had not satisfied God the conscience would never have beene satisfied there would still have

God doth suspend their comforts so that though they may be in a good estate for the maine yet they shall not know it and all because they are not carefull to keepe their evidence which we should preserve cleare and bright that it might be seene and read upon all occasions And we should so keepe them bright that our consciences may witnesse with us and that the Spirit and the Word may joyne their witnesse with our consciences The Word saith That he that loves the brethren is translated to life and he that heares the word as the word is Christs sheepe Now doth thy conscience tell thee that though in weake measure yet I do so Then here is the word and thy conscience for thee and doth the spirit witnesse with thy conscience that it is so indeed then it is well thou keepest thy Evidence to purpose 4 And when we have done this let us make conscience not to yeeld to any base doubts and feares and objections of Sathan and our owne hearts When we finde any worke of grace deny not the worke of God lest we grieve the Spirit of God As some melancholy Christians that though every man may see the worke of God in them yet yeeld so slavishly to the misguidings of their hearts and the temptations of Sathan that they conclude they have no faith no love though other Christians that can reade their evidence better see that they have these in them what dishonour is this to God and his Spirit when a darke humour shall prevaile more then the Word the truth it selfe this is a great bondage which Sathan brings the soule into that when there is evidence of faith in the fruits of it yet men will beleeve a peevish humour before the word and testimony of conscience enlightned by the spirit Take heed of it as a great pride in the heart when we yeeld more to a sturdy darke unsubdued humour then to Evidence it selfe Therefore in such cases hearken not to what feare sayes or humour saith or Sathan saith or what the world saith but hearken what truth it selfe saith and what conscience saith when it is enlightened by the Spirit as in good times when we are at the best True Christians though more remisse shall have so much comfort as shall support them from falling into despaire yet not so much as shall strengthen them and carry them into a vigorous life fit for Christians 5 When we have found any worke of grace and thereupon that our faith is true we ought to comfort our selves and to maintaine our comfort by all meanes Everie grace is but faith exercised when our Saviour saith Ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me he might have said also in particular Be patient be contented be comforted But he names the root of all Faith wherein all graces are radically which is therefore discerned in the fruits of it so that if any grace be found as love to the brethren hope of life everlasting or the like there is faith For the root and branches be together though the root is not alwayes discerned And therefore when we discover any true faith in the fruit of it let us support and comfort our selves with it For when a man is in Christ and by Christ an heire of heaven and a childe of God what in the world can befall him that should deject over much and cast him downe What losse what crosse what want of friends hath he not all in God and in Christ and in the promise Do not the promises weigh downe all discouragements whatsoever Surely they do And therefore we must strive against dejection For besides what I spake the last day it is a dishonour to the profession of Religion which is in it selfe so glorious what a dishonour to God and to Christ when we have such glorious prerogatives and priviledges which the Angles themselves admire yet every petty crosse and losse that we meet withall in the world should cast us downe we should take heed exceedingly of this and should labour every day to have a more and more cleare sight of the promises that belong unto us and to know the priviledges of Christianity and renew our faith in them continually that they may be fresh to us in all temptations and occasions whatsoever I beseech you do but consider any one grand promise which if it be rooted in the soule how it is able to support the soule against all troubles whatsoever As that Feare not little flocke for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdome Or that other If God spared not his Sonne for us how will he not with him give us all things else Labour to have these things fresh in memory together with the priviledges belonging to Christians Thinke what is it to be a childe of God and an heire of heaven We must not looke onely to the blinde and darke side of our condition Christians have two sides one to heaven ward and God-ward and that is full of glory certaine and immoveable Another towards the world and that is oftentimes full of abasement full of disgrace and dejection That is moveable sometimes better sometimes worse as God pleaseth to dispense his government in the Church Let us looke to the grace to the comforts that belong to that grace to the promises the best side and not to be carried away with the darknesse of the other It is a terrible sight to looke upon sinne and miserie and hell and judgement to come but what are these to a Christian that is in Christ that seeth them all subdued and overcome to him The afflictions of the world and the crosses of the world what are they to a soule that is alreadie in heaven by faith and seeth them all overcome in his head Christ Be of good comfort I have overcome the world And therefore we must not be so malignant as to looke all upon one part of a Christian and that the worser part which is the object of sence for shame live not by sence but if we be Christians let us live by faith looke to the best part looke upwards and forwards to that which is eternall 5 And withall labour to keepe the grace of the Spirit in continuall exercise upon all occasions For grace exercised brings certaine comfort it may be with a Christian in his feelings as with the worst man living but he may thanke his owne negligence his owne dulnesse his not stirring up of the graces of God in him For therefore it is that he hangs the wing upon every pettie crosse on every occasion Labour to have an heart ready to exercise grace suteable to that occasion for then grace will reflect sweetly where there is sinceritie and grace in exercise Sinceritie alone will not comfort a man unlesse it grow up to fruitfulnesse and fruitfulnesse which springs from the exercise of grace hath a sweet reflection upon the soule Remember Lord how I have walked before thee in truth and