Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
church_n according_a apostle_n faith_n 2,836 5 4.6389 4 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A67095 The manifold vvisedome of God In the divers dispensation of grace by Iesus Christ, In the Old New Testament. In the covenant of faith. workes. Their agreement and difference. By G. Walker, B.D. pastor of Saint Iohn the Evangelist in Watlingstreet. Walker, George, 1581?-1651. 1641 (1641) Wing W361; ESTC R217663 63,825 196

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

order read frame and line 14. after the word Greeke put in word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and line 16. after the word New put in and the Septuagints in the Old page 51 line 8. read tree of Knowledge page 56 line 4. read in his owne person page 77. line 19. put out all page 90. l. 19. put in the page 103. l. 7. read unprofitable servants for unprofitablenesse page 142. line 22. for Christs read Christs blood CHAP. I. A briefe Treatise concerning the agreement and difference betweene the Old and New Testament the first Covenant betweene God and Man in Innocency which is the old Covenant of Works and the New Covenant made with Mankinde in Christ which is called the Covenant of free Grace also betweene the Law and the Gospell IT is an Ancient custome which hath beene for many Ages in use among the learned before the entrance into the large Exposition of the Gospell of Christ in the New Testament to premise and lay downe by way of preparation the nature difference and agreement between the Old and New Testament the Covenant of Workes and the Covenant of Grace the Law and the Gospell the Prophets and the Evangelists And surely if wee doe rightly consider the end and use of this practise and the profit and benefit which may arise from the knowledge of the nature of these beforehand and of the true difference and agreement betweene them we cannot but judge those learned men worthy of imitation and that it will be profitable for us to walke in the same steps when like occasion is offered For the knowledge of the true difference of the Old and New Testament the Covenant of Workes and the Covenant of Grace the Law and the Gospel will not only give us great light for the right understanding of divers particular speeches used in the New Testament by the Evangelists and Apostles but also may keepe us from many dangerous errours and enable us to answer the Objections of the Adversaries which they make out of the words of the Apostles and Prophets wrongfully wrested and misconstrued according to their owne foolish imaginations As for example sometimes the Apostles exhort us to observe the things which by Tradition have beene delivered unto us and command to observe the good orders and Ordinances established in the Churches Now a man not knowing the difference betweene the Old and New Testament the Law and the Gospel when hee heares such speeches may imagine that in those words he is injoyned to observe the Traditions and Ordinances of Moses and so may with the seduced Galatians fall into a great errour So in some places of the Apostles we read That they who are borne of God sin not That they who sin are of the Devill That they who sinne wilfully after that they have received the knowledge of the truth can have no sacrifice for their sinne And that he who beleeveth not is condemned already These things when a man heares or reades who is igno rant of the difference betweene the Law and the Gospell hee may imagine with our new up start Heretiques That every sinne which a man willingly commits doth prove him to be a childe of the Devill destitute of all grace And that when men are once called and justified they cannot willingly sinne any more And many such errours he may runne into but if he understandeth that sinne in those places signifieth sinne against the Evangelicall Law the two Commandements of the Gospell which commands us to beleeve and repent and not every sinne against any Commandement of the Law hee cannot bee deceived For sinne against the Gospell is when a man being before called to beleeve and professe the Gospell and having received the Commandements thereof which injoyne repentance of all sinne and beleefe in this Iesus Christ whom the Gospell preacheth doth afterwards rebell against these two Precepts that is falls into infidelity and impenitency which is wilfull Apostacy Now these sinnes none can commit who is borne of God or hath any true saving grace in him and if wee thus understand sinne wee shall not be deceived So likewise the Evangelists and Apostles do tell us that if we doe such and such good workes we are righteous if wee call on the Name of the Lord wee shall be saved and our Saviour saith that he will pronounce them the blessed of his Father and will say to them Come inherit the Kingdome for yee fedde mee when I was hungry and visited mee in prison In that yee did these things to my little ones And againe Many sins are forgiven her for shee loved much If wee know not the difference betweene the Law and the Gospell we may by these speeches be moved to thinke that men are justified and saved by their workes and may merit heaven by good deeds as the Iewes and Papists doe beleeve But if wee know that by good deeds and righteous workes the Evangelists and Apostles doe commonly meane not simple workes of obedience to the Law but works done by a true saving and justifying faith he cannot be deceived For such workes have these two prerogatives above all others First in that they are fruits of a justifying faith which can never faile and doe proceed from the spirit of repentance which makes us one with Christ sonnes of God in him and abides in us as an immortall seed they are infallible tokens of our justification and do assure unto us the Crowne of glory which Christ hath purchased for us and the kingdome of heaven which is the inheritance of sons And therefore we may truely say that he which doth such workes is righteous and shall be saved and injoy all blessednesse not meaning that they make him righteous or merit Heaven but that they are the evidences of his right to heaven And the more they are and the greater and more excellent the more they testifie a mans union and communion with Christ by a lively faith and give more assurance of a greater reward Secondly being the workes of a man that is justified by faith and hath perfect communion of Christs righteousnesse they have all their spots and staines cleansed and covered with the robe of Christs righteousnesse and all their defects thereby supplyed to the full and so they are perfect righteous workes as well as the doer of them is a perfect righteous man not in themselves but by vertue of Christ his obedience which is communicated and imputed to the worker of them and in him to them also They are righteous and are so called not actually or effectually but passively that is not for making the doer of them righteous but by the doers receiving of Christs righteousnesse by that faith whereof they are fruits which righteousnesse doth supply all their defects and makes them righteous not by reason of a naturall change in themselves or alteration of their nature but by spirituall communion which they have of it together with the doers of
in himselfe like a Lambe without spot The consecration of them shewed that Christ should in his conception be sanctified and take our nature and our sinnes upon him that hee might be our Redeemer and our Sacrifice The killing of the Beasts and the burning of the fat and some parts of them signified the manner of Christs reconciling of us and working our peace even by his Death and passing through the fire of Gods wrath Gods cloathing of Adam and his wife with their skinnes signified that Mans sin and shame is covered with Christs satisfaction and the faithfull are to be cloathed with the robe of his Righteousnesse The liberty which God gave man to eate flesh of Beasts which hee might not before sacrifices were ordained sheweth that we gaine more by Christ than we lost in Adam This was the first making and revealing of the Covenant Afterwards the Lord renued this Covenant with Noah Gen. 6 10. and did further reveale it in another Type namely the saving of Noah and his family in the Arke which was borne up by the flood of Waters Which Arke signified the Church The saving of them onely who were in the Arke shewed that salvation is found onely in the Church of Christ and none can be saved but they who by faith cleave to Christ and are members of his body in the true Church The water bearing up the Arke and so saving it and them that were in it signified that the and faithfull are saved by the washing of Regeneration Tit. 3. 5. The Baptisme of the Spirit and that Laver of Christs Blood which outward Baptisme signifieth 1 Pet. 3. 21. Thirdly the Lord renued this Covenant with Abraham and did somewhat more plainely reveale it unto him First by promise that in him all the Families of the Earth should be blessed and the promised seed and Saviour should come of him Gen. 12. 3. and 22. 18. Secondly by shewing the way to life and happinesse even justification by Faith apprehending Christ and seeking righteousnesse for a shield for reward in him alone Gen. 15. 1 6. Thirdly by Oath Gen. 22. 16. Fourthly by the promise of the Land of Canaan to him and to his Seed which was a Type of the heavenly Canaan and did praefigure the Countrey which is above Gen. 15. 18. Fiftly by the seale of the Covenant of Grace to wit circumcision which signified that Gods faithfull people must be circumcised in their hearts and have the fore-skinne of fleshly lusts cut away by mortification of the Spirit Gen. 17. Sixtly the offering up of Isaac the sonne of promise on Mount Moriah by Gods appointment did praefigure and foreshew that by the offering up of Christ the promised Seed in the same place all Nations should be saved Gods wrath pacified and perfect obedience fulfilled Lastly by the outward forme and ceremony of a solemne oath and covenant which passed betweene God and Abraham Gen. 15. 17. For there we reade that the Lord commanded Abraham to take an heifer of three yeeres old a shee goat of three yeeres and a ramme of three yeeres and a turtle Dove and young Pigeon and he divided them in the midst laid each peece one against another And it came to passe that when the Sun went downe and it was darke behold a smoaking Furnace and a burning Lampe that passed betweene those pieces Now this was the forme of taking a solemne oath among the Chaldeans and the Hebrewes instituted by God himselfe as appeares Ierem. 34. 18. where it is said That when the children of Israel made a Covenant to let their servants goe free they cut a Calfe in twaine and passed betweene the parts of it this was the ceremony of an oath and covenant and this God ordained for he calls it there His Covenant And hereupon it is that in the Old Testament the Hebrew word which is used for making of a Covenant is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which signifies to cut asunder as appeares Deut. 5. 2. and divers other places which sheweth that Covenants were solemnly made by sacrifices of beasts divided Now this dividing of the Beasts in two parts did signifie and teach two things First that there was a division made betweene God and men by sinne Secondly the division of the Covenant of Grace into two parts the Old and New Testament The comming and passing betweene signified First that God and men must be reconciled and the Covenant sealed and confirmed betweene them by a Mediatour Secondly that Christ the Mediatour was to come in the middest of yeeres betweene the time of the Old and the time of the New Testament to knit and linke both in one and to confirme both But in that God came betweene the parts like a smoaking Furnace and a burning Lampe to confirme the Covenant and to ●●ale it to Abraham at that time this signified First that Christ the Mediatour comming betweene God and men should be God clouded in our fraile nature which is but like a vapour and smoake that he should passe through the Furnace of afflictions and yet in his life should be a burning and shining Lampe pure and perfect in righteousnesse and holinesse Secondly that the Lord in those times did reveale himselfe and his Sonne more obscurely like a smoaking Furnace in smoake and cloudes and like a burning Lampe which is but dimme in comparison of the light of Christ the Sunne of Righteousnesse risen up in the Gospell and the brightnesse of Gods glory shining in the face of Iesus Christ Besides these wee reade of divers other renuings and explanations of this Covenant as that with David recorded Psal. 89. 3 28 34 verses where the Lord promised that Christ should come of the seed of David and should be a King for ever And many promises of speciall ●lessings which God of old promised are called Covenants But the speciall and principall Covenant which is especially called the Old and is distinguished from the New Covenant of the Gospell is Gods making and renewing of the Covenant with Israel partly by his owne mouth and partly by the ministery of Moses on Mount Horeb which is mentioned Exod. 19. 20. For that Covenant is a mixt Covenant partly of the Covenant of Workes which is the Old Covenant partly of the Covenant of Grace which was made after the fall First God sent Moses to the people to aske whether they would obey the Lords voyce and keepe all his Commandements that they might thereby live and be blessed They answered all together and said All that the Lord hath spoken we will doe Thereupon the Lord came downe upon Mount Sinai in fire and smoake and with terrible Thunders and Lightnings and the sound of a Trumpet and spake unto them the words of the Law immediately with his owne mouth promising life to them that kept it and threatning death to the breakers thereof Now this was but a repeating and renewing of the first Covenant of Workes to be performed by