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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
blood_n	drink_v	eat_v	spiritual_a	7,539	5	7.5251	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65061	Gods drawing, and mans coming to Christ discovered in 32 sermons on John 6. 44 : with the difference between a true inward Christian, and the outward formalist, in three sermons on Rom. 2. 28, 29 / by ... Richard Vines ...	Vines, Richard, 1600?-1656.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1662 (1662)	Wing V550; ESTC R3255	240,330	368

it himself and is pleased with that with which he was displeased before when the heart is thus overcome then it submits he stands faire in his own eyes no more his own face pleases him no longer he rebels no more but submits to the righteousness of God Ro. 10. 3. and so receives Christ as the greatest treasure in the world therefore free grace is a great obligation it binds strongly by the constraint of love Fourthly I close all with a motive to examination whether you be partakers of this drawing now before the Sacrament you are called the Lord invites you to his table he invites his friends his children these he calls by the word every ordinance breathes unto you little else but Christ Jesus for all sanctifying strengthning and corroborating grace from whence come they surely in Hosea 14 8. from me is thy fruit found all your strength arises from the greater and further reception of Christ Jesus therefore examine whether this work of God hath been on you to draw you to Christ Jesus faith is not a vulgar grace it is not an easie thing it comes from divine omnipotency and power as we say of the resurrection whereby a dead man rises from the grave it is a work of the power of God and therefore Christ confuting the Sadduces that denied it said you erre not knowing the Scriptures and the power of God I am saith Christ the resurrection and the life No man is alive till he take hold of and believe in the Lord Jesus now can a dead man be raised from the dead and not be sensible do you think faith is not a sensible work yes as 't is a powerful work so 't is sensible to man yet I confess men may be deceived as women are by false tumors and swellings so there are many delusions whereby a man may take himself to be in a state of grace when he is not because there is a false faith as well as a true it is the point of examination pressed by St Paul in 2 Cor. 13. 5. because of such moment examine your selves whether you be in the faith whether Christ be in you many think of a Christ without them you are all glad to know that Christ gave himself for you that he gave himself to be the blood of atonement but is he yours by the blood of sprinkling the Scripture puts this to the trial by words that intimate Christ within men Galath 4. 19. my little children of whom I travel in pain till Christ be formed in you and Ephes 3. 17. Christ dwels in our hearts by faith Gal. 2. 20 Christ liveth in me these phrases do difference the Jew outwardly from the Jew inwardly and teach in like proportion that he is not a Jew that hath the outward character and not the circumcision of the Spirit Ro 2 28. and let that obligation sit on you in the 2 Tim. 2. 19. Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity for else it s not the sacraments will serve turne in 1 Cor. 10. 4 5. they eat of the same spiritual meat with us But God was not well pleased with them they were wicked and therefore examine your selves what work of God you have found upon your hearts whether you are renewed by the Holy-Ghost in Tit. 3. 5. God is said to save man by the washing of regeneration v. 6. that being justified by his grace you might be made heirs of eternal life To move you consider Motive 2 First The graces that have connexion with or do accompany salvation are inward things there is an inward seal a white stone with a name in it known to them that have it Sacraments seal the outward part the conditional compact that whosoever believes shall not perish but it is the Spirit that witnesses to ours that we are sons of God Motive 2 Secondly That unto and by those inward graces God drawes his people thus he undertakes to create a new heart to put his law into their mind this is that which is called the teaching of God Gods drawing so that its the inward work that gives thee comfort of this business But Object Doth not the manducation of Christs body and blood in the Sacrament tend unto this inward and spiritual inhabitation of Christ in us Answer Yes And so did the outward ordinances of the Jewes they tended to spiritual things there circumcision signified an inward circumcision as our baptisme an inward washing and our eating and drinking sets forth our communion of his body and blood our union and communion which are spiritual are here exhibited unto us as meat and drink of life as John 6. 37. He that eats me shall live by me this in this chapter so much spoken of is not sacramental but it is spiritual eating for it was spoken before the institution of the supper but it speaks of the kernel of it the eating of Christ his body by faith And so much for this text THE DIFFERENCE Between a True Inward Christian And the Outward Formalist DISCOVERED In three Sermons on Rom. 2. 28 29. By M r RICHARD VINES Late Preacher of Gods Word at S t Laurence Jury LONDON LONDON Printed for Abel Roper 1662. THE DIFFERENCE Between a True Inward Christian And the Outward Formalist Rom. 2. 28 29. For he is not a Jew that is one outwardly neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the flesh But he is a Jew that is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise is not of men but of God THe Apostle before he makes entrance upon the Doctrine of Justification which is one of the Cardinal Points of the Christian Religion doth convince and conclude that both Jews and Gentiles and so consequently all mankind are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 under sin Rom. 3. 9. draws up the conclusion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we have shewn cause before or charged all men to be under sin teaching all Masters of conviction the necessity of that method to cut off the branch which is to be ingraffed from the tree where it had its first birth before it can be fit for coalition with a new stock and for participation of the root and fatness of the Olive Tree first make a man a sinner my meaning is make him miserable and when the strugling fish that is stricken with the hook is tired or choaked you may more easily draw him to the shore The great Rule to be observed in the conviction of gainsayers is to disarm them of their Armour those inward reasonings and strong holds wherein they trust then it is an ea●ier thing to bring them in when that wherein they trusted is 〈◊〉 down about their ears Think not saith S. John to say within your selves We have Abraham to our Father think it not speaking to the inward reasonings of the Jews at that 〈◊〉 The Apostle imitating this course ●oth as concerning the heathen

they can believe at pleasure Reas 1 First Because the knowledge or light in which faith is seated is not a natural light but it is a light proceeding from the Spirit of God 2 Cor. 4. 6. shewing that this light is bidden by God to flow out of our darkness and a Created light as the first light was so that the light wherein saving Faith is seated is not a natural light In all faith that is true and saving there must be a proportion of knowledge and therefore faith and knowledge are sometimes put for one and the same in the holy Scripture famously in Isa 53. 11. by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many that is by the Faith of him and whence this light of faith doth come you may very well perceive by that Flesh and blood hath not revealed it It is not a light of natural reason or acquisition but is a light created by God and conveyed by the spirit of God only Matth. 16. 17. For that which is called a spiritual discerning and that must either be Faith or the light wherein faith is planted that is affirmed not to be within the power of a natural man 1 Cor. 2. 14. where he gives the reason why a natural man doth not perceive the things of God because they are spiritually discerned and therefore I conclude that a natural man hath not the spiritual discerning of heavenly things and having not this spiritual discerning it remains that it must be a supernatural hand and therefore all the light of Reason learning and pregnancy of wit in man naturally is but darkness to this spiritual light which is given to babes and fools as the moon light is but night and darkness unto that light which makes day and if this be that light whereby Christ is only savingly known in the excellency of his knowledge it must needs follow that faith being seated in it must be a supernatural work which is a clear demonstration and strong proof as any I know from reason that as the sun can not be seen in the light of a torch so you must see and know and believe in Christ Jesus by a light held forth from God which is supernatural Reas 2 Secondly Every predominant and reigning lust doth not cannot stand with saving Faith because it will hinder the plantation and growth of it as the rock hindred the rooting of the sown seed and what is this to the purpose may some say very much sor it shews that no unregenerate or natural man every of which hath some master fin or other can have a saving faith it must be said of every lust what is said of one for there is the same Reason our Saviour instances in on Joh. 5. 44. how can you believe that receive honour one of another and not that which comes from God only one marriage prevents a second untill some divorce or separation be made and so doth any reigning sin hinder faith in Christ Oh that you would think of it that live in any known raigning lust you can have no saving faith in Christ Jesus I know infirmities may stand with faith but raigning sin cannot no more then a first and second marriage can stand together A miserable case that a man should think he hath faith when he is martyed to sin I confess a dogmatical faith an opinionative faith a common faith may consist with a mans lust Simon Magus was in the Gall of bitterness and yet he believed with that kind of faith that was in unregenerate men but saving Faith will not consist with lusts that is the second reason therefore naturally no man can believe in Christ Jesus Reas 3 Thirdly The establishment and pursuance of self righteousness by your own worthiness and works that also hinders the plantation of saving faith in you and therefore as Luther said Of all taking heed take heed you do not pursue any thing that may be called your own righteousness For they went about to make their own righteousness to stand and therefore did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God Rom. 10. 3. they attain not that seek it so as Israel that pursued after righteousness they followed the chase hard but did not overtake it Rom. 9. 31. why because they sought it as it were by the works of the law and not by the faith of Christ Jesus those that run fastest as humbled men do after this righteousness are but like a man that runs apace after his shadow that runs as fast away from him as he runs after it therefore as Adam did not strip himself nor may be never would but God stript him and then cloathed him with skins not with leaves that was an embleme of death for it appears that some beasts were killed the green leaves whereby a man covers himself are an embleme of his own righteousness wherein he would stand But when God comes to strip him of this righteousness Oh then saith he that I might be cloathed with skins an embleme of the atonement made for sin by the death of Christ this also doth oppose and hinder the plantation of Faith Reas 4 Fourthly To bring a man to saving faith in Christ is no less then to take a Castle fortified so it is compared 2 Cor. 10. 4 a strong hold must be beaten down and this is the mighty work of Gods power saith the text for the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ now mark if it be to take a fortified Castle then the Apostle supposes that every natural man till he be converted is in his strong hold and such a one will not dismantle his own Castle nor take himself and become captive to himself and certainly if the work be this no hand can do it but the hand of God Reas 5 Fifthly Faith in Christ is no less then the surrendring and delivery up of a mans self to a new Soveraignty to be no more his own a man must acknowledge and take a new Lord assoon as he believes in Christ for as redemption frees us from the vindictive Justice of God so the conquest of Christ frees us from the power of sin from our Jaylor or former ruler the devil It cannot be expected of a bondman that he should free himself especially a voluntary bondman that delights to have his ears bored you that say you are believers in Christ if your faith be true know by this it resigns and surrenders you up to the will of a new Lord and Soveraign and let any man ask counsel of his own heart whether he would be willing without divine power drawing him to surrender up the mastery of himself therefore I conclude if this he cannot do he cannot believe Reas 6 Sixthly The whole Soul is moved in or by the plantation of faith The School-men do dispute and quarrel about the seat of faith whether it be the understanding or the will

by the almighty power of God Secondly By the conquest of Christ himself for we must be partakers of that before we can believe And thirdly by the energie and operation of the Spirit so that we may say as it 's said Zachariah 4. 6. Not by strength he means humane not by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts But to speak particularly to the point Faith in Christ as it is a duty in respect of the command of God so it is a principle of new life in order to the recovery of the state of Gods Image Now let the consideration of faith as 't is a duty passe and consider it as 't is a principle seed and root of spiritual life whereby we live unto or with God and then tell me in a sober judgment whether nature can plant a supernatural principle For plantation of principles the strength must be supernatural whether a supernatural principle is likely to be planted by the power of nature I think there are but few that will affirm it Formes naturally begotten by generation are educed as Philosophers say out of the power of the matter But can a supernatural principle be educed by the power of the matter No they rise meerly out of nothing I do not discuss now whether every duty of faith and repentance require a supernatural strength proceeding from the principles already planted as fruit from the ●oo● but whether the principles themselves the habitual graces be of Gods plantation yea or no which no man will deny that thinks the new creature to be Gods work as well as natural man is For and it is but reasonable for me to speak it shall we by our natural being confessedly be the creatures of God and deny our selves as new creatures in regard of our spiritual being to be of God there are but two places of Scripture whereby I prove all this that I have recited John 1. 13. all believers are born via● by regeneration not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God a plain denial of the will of man to be a concurrent agent or cause in the work of regeneration he denies three things that natural generation hath dependance on and affirms one not of blood as natural generation nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God This spiritual birth is left to be of God and his will and mark it is denied to be of the darling mans will Deut. 29 4. you have seen great signes and wonders that one would think should have brought faith out of a rock of stone for the space of forty years ever since you were in Egypt and came along through the wilderness and yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear to this day Objects they had that one would have thought should have wrought faith in the heart of man But the reason why they had not a jot of faith wrought in them for so long a time was because God had not given them eyes to see so that the natural light of man is not that wherein faith is seated man may see and not see see and wonder but not see and believe a clear attestation that he must see by Gods light and perceive by a sense given to the heart by God And so I have done with that question and shall now open the properties of this drawing of God which are four First It 's victorious over all incounters and opposition Secondly It makes the person drawn a volunteir Thirdly It s a drawing by teaching vers 45. Fourthly It is such as is peculiar and proper to the elect of God First It is a victorious drawing prevalent over all resistance that can be made against it there is a contrariety in the heart of natural man to grace especially to faith and no grace is so much opposed tempted beleaguered and fought against by the Devil as a mans faith and none that the contrariety of nature makes head and fights against and resists by reason of the innate enmity which is in it as Faith it makes resistance but how As a drop of water falling into a great fire makes resistance to the fire as a drop can do but cannot make a victorious resistance to quench the fire but is swallowed up by it so the resistance that is made against the power of God cannot be victorious but that the power of God overcomes all resistance and withdrawment My meaning is when God engages purposely and intentionally according to his elective purpose to draw men to Christ then this power of God becomes and appears to be victorious then let Onesimus run from his Master to Rome God will find him in a prison there and convert him let Naaman be in Syria let the widdow of Sarepta be in a City of Sidon that is as Christ means out of all high ways to conversion the power and grace of God will find them out I say when God intends the work For as Israel is prevailed over and kept in slavery until God saith I have seen I have seen the affliction of my people and am come down to deliver them then you know the deliverance is wrought in despight of Pharaoh then there was no longer keeping them under slavery So till the time be that God hath appointed to draw his Children of purpose to his Son by an actual call a sinful lustful person lies in slavery to every sinful lust every cord holds him and then he shall find a door open and the resistance removed and suspended for that time When Moses was in Egypt and an Egyptian fought against an Israelite he slew the Egyptian in rescue of an Israelite it was a preludium or presage that he should deliver Israel out of Egypt the whole body of them and therefore when the body came to be delivered forty years after this he did it with a mighty hand So God victoriously brings out of the state of sin single souls and slays their corruptions as victoriously as the whole Church shall be delivered at last from the greatest Pharaohs death divel and sin and therefore observe the stile used in the Covenant is very peremptory I will give I will put and on mans part They shall come They shall know They shall not depart away from me The reason of the victorious power of grace is that the world moves by carnal and sensual objects and so the Devil and Flesh they move objectively their motion whereby they move from God is but objective propounding pleasing or fearful objects to the mind of man either drawing or alluring or affrighting a man from faith in Christ now if Gods moving and drawing should not be more powerful and strong then the devils the worlds or mans own withdrawing there neither would nor could be conversion wrought if the drawing of man to Christ were not more powerful than mans withdrawment