Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	creature_n	new_a	rejection_n	80	3	16.8717	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80622	The grounds and ends of the baptisme of the children of the faithfull. Opened in a familiar discourse by way of a dialogue, or brotherly conference. / By the learned and faithfull minister of Christ, John Cotton, teacher of the Church of Boston in New-England.	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1646 (1646)	Wing C6436; Thomason E356_16; ESTC R201141	171,314	214

Christ himself speaketh of branches in him the true vine the fat olive tree which yet bare no fruit in him and so are cut off from him cast out and wither John 15.2 6. And such branches though they were in Christ by the fellowship of the Church and by the Spirit conveying from Christ common graces to them yet they were never elect in him to everlasting life nor united to him by a lively faith For if they had been so in him they had never been cut off from him It is true the Covenant of grace was not to all the seed of Abraham without exception that is to such of the seed as rejected the Covenant or the faith of it as Ismael and Esau did in riper years But the Covenant was to all the infant seed of Abraham without exception and to all the infants of his believing seed And the seale of the Covenant was in like sort dispensed to them all without exception to Ismael as well as to Isaac to Esau as well as to Jacob. Yet neverthelesse it will not therefore follow that some of the seed of Abraham were comprehended in the Covenant and admitted to the seale thereof in one sense whom God excepted against in another sense For hee excepted not against the infant seed of Abraham or his family in any sense but onely against the seed apostate in elder yeares In respect of which Apostacy which God fore-knoweth all the non-elect seed of Abraham will fall into though God receive all the infant-seed of Abrahams family that is of the Church into the fellowship of the Covenant and of the seale thereof yet he giveth a peculiar blessing to the elect seed even the sure mercies of his Covenant Esa 55.2 And though you say that between these two seeds God ever held forth a distinction in all generations from Adam to Christ yet that distinction was onely this the seed of all the flesh and the seed of the promise Rom. 9.8 But he excluded neither of them in their infancy from the Covenant or from the seale of it Indeed the children of the promise being the elect of God God hath not onely given his Covenant to them and the seale thereof but hath also established it unto them for ever But the seed of the flesh though the Lord gave his Covenant even unto them also and the seal therof yet he hath not established it unto them for ever whence afterward it commeth to passe that they reject the Covenant and the faith of it But when you further say that Christ hath put an end to the type and to the flesh and to all priviledges thereunto belonging so that now all is laid up in Christ onely for such as believe and for that end quote 2 Cor. 5.16 Phil. 3.3 4 5. It is readily granted you that Christ hath put an end to all types and to fleshly Ordinances and to the purifying of the flesh by the Ceremonies of the Law Heb. 7.16 9.13 But that Christ hath put an end to all priviledges either of the Covenant or of the seale of the Covenant to the seed of believers there is no word in the New Testament that teacheth us any such doctrine the places alledged opened above by me prove the contrary and those alledged by you will not make good what you say for the place in 2 Cor. 5.16 that a man regenerate knoweth no man after the flesh argueth onely thus much that a man in Christ resteth in no outward priviledges no not in seeing and knowing Christ in the flesh nor in eating and drinking in his presence nor in hearing him preach in their streets but in the spirituall and lively fellowship of his death and resurrection which maketh him whosoever knoweth Christ a new Creature And so say we too and so it was with the faithfull in the Old Testament as well as in the New It was not the outward participation of the Covenant nor of the seale of it that a sincere Israelite could rest in but in the grace of the Covenant and Circumcision of the heart in the Spirit not in the Letter But this doth not at all argue that the children of the faithfull who are yet in the flesh are not partakers of the Covenant of grace nor of the seale of it now in the New Testament as well as they were in the Old But only argueth that though before regeneration men are apt to rest and boast in the outward Letter of priviledges and Ordinances yet after regeneration they doe not acknowledge such things as their comfort and confidence John Baptist endeavoured to beat off the Jews from resting in such outward priviledges Matth. 3.9 And so did the Prophets before Christ Jerem. 9.25 26. as well as Paul after him both in this place of the Corinthians and that other which you quote out of Phil. 3.3 4 5. When you say that now all is laid up in Christ onely for such as believe If you meane all spirituall blessings of life and salvation you say true but nothing to the question For so it was in the Old Testament as well as now But as it was then the seed of believers partaked of the outward dispensation of the Covenant and of the seale of it so is it still unlesse you could shew us some Scripture whereby they are more excluded now then in the old Testament Silvester Now first in Christ by faith and then to the Covenant and priviledges thereof Gal. 3.29 None by the Gospel are approved to be the seed of Abraham but onely such as walke in the steps of his faith For as none invisibly before God are by him approved at all to have right to any priviledges of grace but onely as he looketh upon them in his Son no more are there any before man visibly to be approved of so as to have right to the same but as they appeare to be in Christ by some effect of faith declaring the same And so much the more in that God excludeth all from his holy Covenant so as to have right in the outward dispensation thereof but onely such as believe Rom. 11.20 Heb. 3.18 4.1 2 3. 11.5 6. Rom. 9.7 8. Gal. 3.22 26 29. Silvanus Surely in the old Testament the children of believers had first Christ by Covenant and then faith also to receive him For in the Covenant with Abraham when God gave himselfe to be a God to him and his seed the Father gave himselfe to bee their Father the Son to be their Redeemer the holy Ghost to bee their Sanctifier when yet the children were unborn without life and therefore without faith And surely in the New Testament God hath not changed this order of his blessings For in rehearsing the Covenant which continueth in the New Testament he giveth the writing of the law in their hearts by Covenant Heb. 8.10 Amongst which laws surely the law of faith is one and indeed the chiefe of all other laws And therefore

Ancestors and to their seed According to which God is more readily inclined to poure out the Spirit of his grace upon the seed and off-spring of his covenanted people then upon strangers and aliens But take away the Covenant of grace from believing parents to their children and truly this difficulty of the more easie conversion of naturall branches will prove as the former did inexplicable Moreover there will yet bee another difficulty and as hard as both the former how to make good sense of the Apostles Argument whereby he proveth the conversion and holinesse of the Jewes in future ages from the holinesse of their godly Ancestors in times past and yet deny as your Bookes doe the continuance of the Covenant of grace from believing Parents to their naturall children now in the dayes of the New Testament The Apostle in Rom. 11.11 and so forward declaring the ends of the rejection of the Jewes hee made this to be one the reconciliation and salvation of the Gentiles to be a meanes to provoke the Jewes to emulation that at length they also might come on to salvation by the example of the Gentiles which he further declareth will bee a great advantage to the Gentiles And that he proveth verse 15. by an argument from the lesse to the greater if the cas●ing away of the Jewes was the reconciling of the world what saith he shall the receiving of them bee but life from the dead And that there shall be such a receiving of them he proveth from the holinesse which by the institution of God is derived from the first fruits to the whole lumpe and by the Covenant of God from the root to the branches ver 16. For saith hee if the first fruits be holy so is the whole lumpe and if the root be holy so are the branches The force of this Argument dependeth upon the force of the Covenant of grace and the continuance thereof from parents to their naturall children even now in the dayes of the New Testament as well as of the Old For by the tenor of the Covenant God is a God to holy Fathers and to their seed after them And if God be a God to their seed it reacheth forth a twofold blessing to their seed that all their seed are holy by Gods adoption Rom. 9.4 and so by their appropriation and relation unto God till themselves doe reject him Secondly that some or other of them God will ever reserve to wit all the elect seed to be called effectually to the fellowship of his holinesse and to the holinesse of their holy Ancestors And these blessings being presupposed and granted by Covenant the Apostles argument is plaine and strong That if the Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob be holy who were the first fruits and the root of the house of Israel then as all the house of Israel were an holy people till they obstinately rejected the Lord Jesus So will God reserve an elect seed of them to be called and received to the fellowship of his holinesse and the holinesse of their Ancestors in his due time But if you abrogate the continuance of the Covenant of grace from holy Parents to their naturall children now in the dayes of the New Testament it will bee a difficulty in my weake judgement past all resolution how the Apostles Argument can be of any force to prove the conversion of the Jews unto holinesse from the holinesse of their Ancestors seeing their Ancestors are no first fruits and root unto them till they come to bee converted and being converted doe believe as well as their Ancestors And whether ever they will come to bee converted or no is as uncertain for all their relation to their holy Ancestors and for all their Ancestors Covenant with God as is the conversion of any other Infidels The Gospel holdeth forth Abraham for a root of Jews and Gentiles Silvester and that is onely in respect of his faith and faithfulnesse and so is hee the patterne and Father of the faithfull that resemble him in the same So that Jews and Gentiles are Abrahams branches onely as they spring out of the same root by faith which declares them to be his true naturall branches so farre onely as they appeare to bee of the same faith as hee was But now for the Jews that they were broken off it was onely for want of their actuall believing the Gospel as Rom. 11. and opposing the same Acts 13.46 And so were the Gentiles received in onely upon their actuall believing and receiving the same For as the Word condemneth none but with respect to actuall sinne no more doth the Word justifie any Jewes or Gentiles but with respect to actuall Faith And as every one 's own faith inrighteth to life so everyones own faith inrighteth to the priviledges of life Silvanus It is true the Gospel holdeth forth Abraham for a Father and so for a root both to Jews and Gentiles that believe Rom. 4.11 12. But in Rom. 11.16 the Apostle holdeth forth Abraham as the root of the Jews who were his naturall branches not by faith as you would have it but by naturall generation through grace borne under his Covenant in opposition to the Gentiles yea to the believing Gentiles For he maketh the rejection of the Jews a meanes of the conversion of the Gentiles and the conversion of the Gentiles a meanes of the conversion of the Jewes at last and the conversion of the Jewes a meanes of awakening and reviving of the Gentiles verse 15. And this he proveth from the holinesse of their root Abraham and thereupon inferreth the calling on of the Jews unto holinesse verse 16. And though for the present the Jews be as branches broken off through their infidelity and the Gentiles by faith received into their place verse 17. yet he exhorteth them not to boast against the Jews verse 18. nor to be high minded in themselves verse 20. For if the Gentiles which had been branches of the olive tree wilde by nature were contrary to nature graffed into the good olive tree then much more shall the Jewes which are the naturall branches be graffed into their owne Olive tree verse 24. which argueth evidently that he speaketh of the Jewes as the naturall branches of Abraham and that not by faith for then why were they broken off as it is said God spared not the naturall branches verse 21. but by naturall generation borne through grace both of the Ioynes and Covenant of Abraham and so their conversion is inferred to proceed more kindly and naturally then did the conversion of the Romans and other Gentiles For they were not cut off from the wilde olive as the Gentiles were but onely broken off from the good olive for a season that they might much more readily and freely bee graffed into their owne olive againe to wit with much more liberty and free passage of grace in the channell of the Covenant Again it is not true that you say that

government was not expressed in the Covenant given to Abraham but in the Covenant and blessing of Iacob It was Iacob that blessed his son Iudah with a scepter Gen. 49.10 But to Abraham it was foretold that his seed should bee a stranger and a servant and in an afflicted estate 400 yeares And though the Lord did not deny them civill government yet neither did he expresly promise it to his seed And as was said above it is the blessing of Abraham that is come upon us and not of Iacob so far as that of Iacob exceeded the blessing of his progenitors Answ 2. It is more then can be proved that the Covenant of Abraham and his posterity after Christ doth not comprehend a civill State for the prophecy of Daniel promiseth that after the destruction of the four Monarchies the Kingdom and the Dominion and the greatnesse of the Kingdome under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High c. Dan. 7.27 Answ 3. Civill State and Government is but an accessary to the Covenant And though the people of God in the new Testament should never enjoy it which is not to be granted yet what is this to the maine promise of the Covenant That God will bee a God to his people and to their seed throughout all generations The seventh and last difference which you put is as little pertinent to the cause as all the former For what if that Covenant held forth Christ in the flesh to an heart vailed And this holdeth him forth in the Spirit to a face open 2 Cor. 3. Yet this argueth onely a different dispensation of the Covenant by Moses and by Christ But the Covenant of Abraham which was given 430 yeares before the Covenant of Moses did not so vaile nor darken the face of Christ but that Abraham saw Christ though afarre off yet clearely and rejoyced I●hn 8.56 And so did all his spirituall seed after him more or lesse as well as wee But what if the dispensation of the Covenant had been more vayled in all the times of the Old Testament to all the seed then indeed it was yet what is this to the maine promise of the Covenant that God will be a God to a believer and his seed throughout all generations Silvester But let the differences of the Covenant before or since Christ stand or fall as they may yet it is no good consequence from the Covenant that as infants were in that Covenant then and circumcised so infants are in the Covenant now and to be baptized For let these foure things be well considered and they will cleare the contrary 1. What the Covenant is 2. What is that which admits into the Covenant 3. Who are the true approved subjects of the Covenant 4. Whether all have not one and the same way of entrance into this Covenant Silvanus What doe you take the Covenant to be Silvester The Covenant it selfe is a Covenant of grace and salvation by which God of his grace takes a person or a people to himself above all others to be their God and to manifest upon them the riches of his grace and glory And the manner of this is in effect Gods calling of a man to an agreement with himself in his Son wherein he promiseth to be his God and to give him life and happinesse and all things in Christ and that he shall believe and rest upon his faithfullnesse and truth and so take him for his God c. So that the Covenant consisteth of 3. Essentialls 1. The persons two or moe disposed to agree 2. Something to agree upon 3. Their mutuall consent which is the agreement it self Silvanus As the heavens are higher then the earth so are the wayes of God higher then our wayes Esa 55.9 and in speciall the wayes of his grace and of the Covenant thereof with men indeed mutuall agreement and consent is necessary to a Covenant but with God Gods appointment maketh a Covenant whether the creature consent to an agreement or no. God sometimes made a Covenant and established it not onely with Noah and his seed but also with the Fowles and Beasts and every living creature that he would never send a flood to destroy them from off the face of the earth Gen. 9.9 10 11. And this Covenant was onely an appointment of God it did not require any consent or agreement of man much lesse of other creatures to make it a Covenant It is therefore a manifest error to make the agreement or consent on mans part essentiall to a Covenant between God and man It is a second error that in describing the Covenant of grace you omit the seed of believers exclude them from the fellowship of the Covenant as being unable to expresse their consent and agreement to the Covenant Let it be considered in the feare of God whether ever God made any Covenant with any man or people which did not comprehend their posterity also God made a Covenant with Noah did it not reach his posterity also Gen. 9. God made a Covenant with Abraham Gen. 17. did it not reach his posterity also God made a Covenant with the people of Israel Exod. 19. did it not reach their posterity also God made a Covenant with Phinehas Numb 25. did it not reach to his posterity also God made a Covenant with David Psal 89.28 did it not reach to his posterity also If then the Scripture never hold forth any Covenant which ever God made with any of the sons of men but it did reach and comprehend his posterity also why should the Covenant of grace be conceived to run a different course from all the rest of Gods covenants namely to reach unto believers but not to their posterity We are shallow and narrow our selves and so we measure the grace of God and the Covenant thereof according to our owne scantling our narrow capacity Proceed then to declare what is the second thing you wisht might bee well considered to wit what is that which admits into the Covenant That which admits any into the Covenant Silvester and giveth right to enter thereinto is the promise of God in Christ and faith in the same as Nehem. 9.8 The Covenant hath these essentiall parts and visible branches 1. Grace in the agent God 2. Faith in the subject Man 3. An uniting or closing of these together which is that mutuall consent and agreement by faith in the same grace revealed by the gospel which is the word of reconciliation So that it is the blessed word of life and faith in the same that giveth right and admitteth into Covenant with God We deny not that faith in the subject doth admit into the Covenant rightly understood to wit faith in Christ Silvanus and in the word of reconciliation admitteth not onely the faithful person but his seed also though yet wanting faith into the Covenant The text which you quote against it

therefore hee admits not of any dead plants to be set in his spirituall vineyard nor dead members to bee joyned in his mysticall body but onely such as are capable by faith to comply with the head Neither tooke he for himself a compound body consisting both of living and dead members which all are that have not a living principle of grace and faith in him which unbelievers have not no nor all the Infants of believers nor any at all untill they are born again of the Spirit Joh. 3.5 6. The Church of God which is the mysticall body of Christ is not a mixt company but onely one substantiall and royall substance suitable to her head and matter by which she was produced being the immortall seed of the Word And therefore one holy spirituall uniforme compacted body both for nature and forme Cant. 6.9 Mal. 2.15 Ephes 2.14 to 22. Job 4.23 All which considered proves the body of Christ or Church of God under the New Testament not to consist of unbelievers nor of Infants neither in whole nor in part and so the branches aforesaid not to be understood of unbelievers or infants but of believers onely That which you say Silvanus that the Jewes were the people of God in a twofold consideration First as a nationall people descended from the loynes of Abraham by naturall generation according to the flesh Secondly some of them owned in a more speciall manner with reference to his gracious Covenant made with Abraham and established with Isaac c. This is not rightly spoken according to the tenor of Scripture language For none of the Jews much lesse the whole Nation was the people of God as they descended from the loynes of Abraham by Naturall generation according to the flesh but onely with reference to his gracious Covenant made with Abraham and with his seed after him If you set aside the consideration of the Covenant the seed of the most holy of Gods Saints are children of wrath and not a people of God Neither let this seem to you of dangerous consequence that if God accounted the whole Nation of the Jewes to bee his people with reference to his gracious Covenant then all the whole Nation must have been in a true and saving estate of grace and so all of them either saved or fallen from a state of grace For this consequence will not follow as hath been shewed above But it is true that you say that God did in a speciall manner owne Isaac and so all the elect seed with whom he established his Covenant not so with Ismael And yet it may not be denyed that God did establish his Covenant to all the seed of Isaac by Jacob and that not onely to the elect seed but to the whole Nation till the ten Tribes rejected not onely the house of David and the Worship of God in the Temple where God had put his name but also the Ministery of the Prophets whom God sent to reclaime them as afterwards the two Tribes of Judah and Benjamin commonly called the Jewes rejected Davids Lord the Lord Jesus and his righteousnesse and the Ministry of the Apostles But before that rejection evident it is that in the wildernesse God did by his gracious Covenant even establish the whole Nationall posterity of Jacob to be a people to himselfe Deut. 29.10 11 12 13. And the Word used in the originall for the establishing of the whole Nation to become Gods people ver 13. is the very same which God used when he promised to establish his Covenant with Isaac Gen. 17.19 And therefore it is not true which you say That in the naturall children of Abraham God onely respected his chosen in Christ with whom he confirmed his Covenant with Isaac in reference to Christ For the words of the Text doe plainly expresse that God by Covenant did confirme or establish the whole house of Iacob to be a people to himselfe according to the Covenant which he had sworn to Abraham Isaac and Iacob Deut. 29.13 whence it was that as the Apostle saith to the Israelites one and other pertained the adoption and the glory and the Covenants and the law and the service of God and the promises c. Rom. 9.4 where he speaketh of such Israelites as for whom he had great heavinesse and continuall sorrow in his heart in respect of their unbelief vers 2. Neverthelesse this I willingly grant you that God had a speciall respect to the elect and faithfull seed as to whom hee reserved the effectuall application of the spirituall and sure mercies of the Covenant though the externall dispensation of the Covenant and of the seales of the Covenant and of all the Ordinances of Gods worship was generally granted to all the seed whether elect or non-elect faithfull or hypocrites But to passe by your generall discourse of the state of the people of the Jews in the Old Testament let us attend to that which commeth nearer to the argument in hand to wit to the generall scope of the Apostles discourse in the 11. Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans which you say is concerning the breaking off of the Jewes and the occasion thereof as also their calling by the Gospel wherein you tell me the Apostle ever defends the faithfull seed of the Jews against the generall rejection of that Nation And it is true he doth so in the former part of the chapter from ver 1. to 10. but that is not his generall scope throughout the whole Chapter For his general scope is to declare three things touching the rejection of the Jews First that it is not universall ver 1. to 10. Secondly that it is not unprofitable ver 11. Thirdly that it is not irrecoverable which he prophecyeth proveth and amplifyeth v. 12. to the end of the Chapter For the 1. That their rejection was not universall he proveth first from his owne example who was an Israelite ver 1. 2. From Gods fore knowledge which is immutable ver 2. 3. From the like reservation which God made of a remnant in the dayes of Elijah ver 3 4 5 6. And this reserving of a remnant he amplifieth by the cause the election of grace ver 5 6. And by the contrary the rejection of the rest which he proveth by the testimony of Isay 7.8 also of David ver 9 10. And thus farre he defendeth the faithfull seed of the Jewes against the generall rejection of that Nation 2. He proveth that their rejection is not unprofitable by giving an instance in an unspeakable blessing which thereby redounded unto the Gentiles to wit the salvation of the Gentiles ver 11. 3. That their rejection is not irrecoverable or finall but on the contrary that their restoring and conversion is to be expected He proveth first from the great benefit which hee prophecyeth shall thereby redound to the Gentile-churches which will be our riches and fulnesse and as it were our life from the dead And that he proveth by an