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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	justify_v	righteousness_n	work_n	23,271	5	6.5234	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64833	Venning's remains, or, Christ's school consisting of four classes of Christians, I. babes, II. little children, III. young men, IV. fathers : with their several characteristical differences and attainments, also the doctrines proper to be taught to each of them : being the substance of many sermons / preached by Ralph Venning and fitted by him for the press before his death.	Venning, Ralph, 1621?-1674.	1675 (1675)	Wing V225; ESTC R27039	205,701	393

first but doubted a little whether they firmly believed it 1 Cor. 15.1 5. and therefore were but Babes as well as for other things which he mentions 1 Cor. 3. And that this is the Apostles meaning as to the Hebrew-Babes is clear from the context and the scope of the whole Epistle which is to shew the excellency of Christ the High-Priest after the order of Melchisedee the Lord our righteousness beyond that of the Law which made none perfect nor righteous He begins Vers 10 11. with this High-Priest after the order of Melchisedec which is the Word of righteousness and strong meat and the summ of all which he had to say as he speaks in Chap 8.1 where he reassumes the discourse and goes on with it telling them that this is more excellent and better which word better he useth of Christ and the Gospel dispensation at least thirteen times This their weak stomachs could not concoct and therefore he calls them Babes to this purpose Jac. Capelius speaks clearly and fully Qui typorum ceremonialium ita particeps est ut iis indigere se putet a●●es ut cibum suum amplectatur is sermonem justitie foedus Evangelicum in quo vera justitiae doctrina traditur capere non potest repuerascit enim adeoque jam redit ad infantiam eamque priore deteriorem In short he that thinks he needs the ceremonial types and makes them his meat cannot take in the Word of righteousness the Evangelical Covenant for he is a worse Babe than they were of old The Galatians also were guilty of this babishness and were not past the Spoon they were receding and going back again to the Law or at least blending and mixing it with Faith for righteousness for which Paul calls them foolish the same with Babes and unskilful as appears by the whole Epistle and the scope and design thereof takes up hereabout yea he travels again for them to bring them out from the Law to a more persect knowledge and Image of Christ Chap. 4.19 So then this is the Babes defect that he is unskilful in the Word of righteousness that and how Christ is our righteousness The Christian Jews were many of them but Jewish Christian● they were not easily brought to lay Moses an● his Law aside and the Christian Gentiles were too much but Gentile-Christians they could hardly part with their old acquaintance the Law of Nature and works Few were come to Paul's pitch to rest only in Christ Jesus to reckon all Ceremonies Priviledges Tears Prayers Humiliations and all that may be called our own righteousness to be loss and dung as to Justification yea though as touching the Law blameless and to be found in him and the righteousness that is of God by Faith in him Gal. 6.14 Phil. 3. that they may have no confidence in the flesh which is but grass and rejoyce in Christ Jesus only And therefore 't is observable that the Apostles whether they writ to Jews or Gentiles made it still their business to bring them off from every Law and Covenant to that of Faith and there to ground and build them upon the only true foundation and corner-stone Christ Jesus that he as he deserves might in all things have the preheminence and be all in all Col. 3.10 11. Gal. 6.15 16. Heb. 13.7 8. 1 Pet. 2.5 6. 1 Cor. 1.29 31. 2. Babes are also unskilful in the Word of righteousness for sanctification to know him experimentally as the root of sanctification and that they are not only to bring forth fruit but to bring it forth by and in him We have not only our first but future grace from Christ and our fruits of righteousness which are by Christ are also even then when we are filled with them acceptable to God and to the glory and praise of God by him in whom all our fresh springs are in whom is our ●it found from whose fulness we receive grace for grace and without being and abiding in him we can do nothing Phil. 1.11 1 Pet. 2.5 Hos 14.8 Psal 87.7 Joh. 1.16 and 15.5 They that will grow in grace must grow in the knowledge of Christ as the root of that gr●th 2 Pet. 3.18 that as they have received him they may walk in him rooted and built up in him Col. 2.6 7. that he may be not only the foundation but the whole structure and the adorning may be from him As it is essential to Gospel sanctification to do all for God is our end so 't is to do all from and in the strength of Christ through which alone we are able to do all things Phil. 4.13 as the glory of God is the final so Christ is the efficent cause of all the fruits of righteousness Phil. 1.11 Indeed 't is as hard a thing to live out of our selves and fetch all from another to say as Paul It is not I that live but Christ liveth in me as 't is not to live to our selves but to another Babes act and speak as if they lived en their own stock and boast too often as if they had not received as the Corinthians did 1 Cor. 4.7 This principle of deriving all sanctification from Christ is not presently and distinctly known to all believers 't is probable that the Disciples understood it not till Christ taught it them in that Sermon John 15. and this indeed is the case of Babes for though to them Christ be made wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption yet they are unskilful and inexpert as to the derivation of it and to have particular recourse to him for it Again 3. Babes are defective in this that though they love to hear much yet they are unable to bear much especially any thing that is beyond Milk and called meat yea strong meat and therefore 't were to hurt and not to help them to feed them with Bread and Wine such as Melchisedee presented to Abraham Gen. 14.18 Our Saviour had many things to say his heart was full but he could not give it vent then for his Disciples were not able to bear it Job 16.12 And Paul tells his Corinthian-Babes that he had fed them with Milk and not with strong meat for hitherto ye were not able to bear it nor yet are ye able 1 Cor. 3.2 Hesych 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the Hebrew Babes were dull thick and hard of hearing the Doctrine which he calls strong meat they could digest Milk only Chap. 5.11 c. Strong meat makes Babes sick of hearing 'T is like Saul's Armour to David too heavy for him he hath not been used to it nor tryed it and therefore cannot bear it he must to his Sling or can do no feats They are not yet so strong to put on all the Armour of God they cannot weild the Sword of the Spirit nor use the Shield of Faith dextrously They are not yet wean'd from the Milk and who can teach them knowledge i. e. high and great knowledge of

and a Prophet to teach them They implicitely take whole Christ in all his offices and not divided And who but a new-born Soul doth The natural man especially if assisted by the common principles and grace of the Gospel desires to be happy and in relation thereunto may wish God to be his God by way of priviledge but then he fails as to the other part of being equally desirous to be Gods by way of duty which every Saint doth do in its measure yea though they have not yet attained the witness and seal of the Spirit that they are the Children of God The least Saint feels the work though it if I may so speak have not yet heard the voice of the Spirit bearing witness thereunto and is thereby in a sure state though it have not the assurance of it for 't is beyond nature at highest with all its attainments to desire and endeavour to serve God as well as to be saved by him to be like him as to be lik'd of him to be conformable to him as to have Salvation from him to obey commands as to enjoy promises and priviledges to be holy as to be happy to have grace to glorifie God as well as to be glorified thereby to be in Jesus Christ not only that there may be no condemnation but a new creation and to be sanctified as to be justified and saved to live as well as to die the death of the righteous 2. New-born ones have the Law of God in and written in their hearts and from this as from the living principle they act and bring forth the fruits of righteousness When the Law of God is in our hearts our hearts will b● set to do it as 't is said Psal 40.8 I delight to do thy Will O God thy Law is in my heart and Isa 51.7 they are said to be the people who know righteousness the people in 〈◊〉 heart Gods Law is others may do some righteous Acts but these do it as their proper fruit springing from the root of the matter the Law of God and his truth in them and so 't is an evidence of their new-birth 1 Joh. 2. every one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a righteousness-maker as his Trade as some are called sin-makers in opposition to these 1 Joh. 3.7 10. every one that doth so do righteousness in obedience to God whose Law is in his heart is born of God Now this is said of the very Corinthian-Babes 2 Cor. 3.3 ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ written not with Ink but with the Spirit of the living God not in Tables of Stone but in the fleshly Table of the heart This cannot be said of any but new-born ones and may be said of them that are but newly born even Babes in Christ From this Law written in their heart there follow and flow forth desires and endeavours after growth and such as will not permit these souls to be satisfied unless they attain it I say it begets desires after growth such as was clear'd before to be in Babes from 1 Pet. 2.2 For having tasted that the Lord is gracious and taken into their hearts what they have tasted they cannot but desire the sincere Milk of the Word of Grace to grow thereby They desire not only to live but to thrive and to be lively And though these Babes do not know or see that they grow according to their desire yet they know that they do desire to grow and that they would as be planted in the house so flourish in the Courts of the Lord and not be trees without fruit 'T is much to be fear'd that they have no grace who do not desire to grow in grace and whether they have grace enough to be saved who can be content with only so much grace as will save them Again they do not only wish and desire but do indeavour also to attain their wishes and desires viz. that they may grow and do therefore diligently and conscientiously attend upon and use all means that God hath appointed for their growth Naked velleities and idle wishes may be found in formalists and hypocrites but to be as indeavourous as desirous is congruous to and only found in the new creatures the new-born ones Balaam could profess and wish like a godly man but he instead of using answerable endeavours practised the clean contrary in formalists the end only is desirable but in true Saints the means are as desirable being not only the way to but a part of their happiness Yet once more True Converts though but Babes take not up and rest satisfied with desires and endeavours unless they attain the end of desires and endeavours or with the use of means without the end of means now it 's true these Babes attain but little and that 's the reason they are so restless and unsatisfied They have the least satisfaction of any Saints because they are much in desire and little in injoyment and therefore desire the more Others take up with desires and endeavours which these cannot do they prosecute and pursue still and say as Absolom Why am I come up from Geshur if I may not see the Kings face Hearing Praying c. is not a satisfaction to them though they do it as a duty unless they have communion with and conformity to God eekt out and carryed on thereby and all this is because the Law of God is written in their hearts 3. New-born ones are for the having their sin to be taken away and that not only by pardoning but by purging yea though their sorrows should continue If God should say to such a Soul I will take away all thy sorrows and make thee a chearful heart thou shalt have Corn and Wine and Oyl enough it would still say O Lord what 's this if I go graceless if my sins be not forgiven me take away my sins Lord though thou leave my sorrows and make me water my Couch with tears every day and walk mournfully all the daies of my life do any thing with me so my sins may be done away my heart will never be at ease till my sins be forgiven And this is not all but if God should further say to such a Soul I will forgive thy sin and remember it no more to charge it upon thee but I will leave thee under the power and bondage of it Oh Lord would this foul say though I bless thee for a pardon and that I shall by that be kept from being damned yet Lord this doth not satis fie me I have as hearty a request to make that I may be purged and that I may be taken from sin as that sin may be taken from me that I may be delivered from sins dominion as from damnation David doth not only pray Lord blot out my transgressions but Lord wash me and cleanse me throughly from my sin Psal 51.1 2. and it seems this was after the Prophet had said The

the grudge and picque against his Brother David Saul also ey'd him with an evil eye when his Victories increased and the ten thousands were attributed to David and but thousands to himself 1 Sam. 18.5 9. Thus 't is with weak Christians they are apt to envy their superiors and betters the very grace of God but let envyings as well as wrath be laid aside which the Apostles speaks to Babes 1 Pet. 2.1 2. On the other hand let not the strong despise the weak but bear with and bear their infirmities which is to fulfil the Law of love and of Christ Gal. 6.2 3. with Rom. 15.1 7. this honour is due to these weaker Vessels for God hath bestowed it upon them he hath so tempered the body that the hand cannot say to the eye I have no need of thee nor again the head 't is strange for the head is Christ yet his Church is his fulness Ephes 1.23 much less can any of the members say to the feet I have no need of you nay much more those members of the body which seem to be most feeble are not only convenient but necessary And not only we do or ought to give but God himself doth give more abundant honour to that part which lacketh 1 Cor. 1.12.21 24. 'T is said Prov. 22.2 The rich and poor meet together in the same body and the Lord is the maker of them all he that made him poor and thee rich could have made him rich and thee poor and as 't is now the rich need the poor as much as the poor need the rich therefore despise not the poor and low Job tells us that he despised not nor durst to despise the cause of his Man-servant no nor of his Maid-servant no though they contended with him for as he saith he could not Answer it to God who made and fashioned his Servant in the womb as he did himself Job 31.13 15. Excellent arguments Well then let not the Babe envy the Young-men c. In a great court many times there is a special favorite but all the rest are apt to envy him though they also are in the same court because they are not favoured and honoured as he is Every one would be the only one So too often in the Court of Heaven upon Earth i. e. the Church Jesus Christ the King of Saints takes one or other as John to be his bosom favorite and truely the other ambitious Courtiers cannot bear this they look upon such a person with an evil eye as Peter did upon John as you may read John 21. When Christ Jesus had told Peter not only what he must do but suffer also in relation to which he makes sure of his love first for one that loves not or loves little will not do or suffer much or willingly yet after this being told of his sufferings and nothing of that nature said concerning John he seems to take it ill and is not able to forbear asking the Question and what shall this man do which was a spice of envy for Christ takes him up for 't with an angty what is that to thee Joh. 21 15-22 When some poor souls Babes that they are see Children-Saints made so much of that they enjoy the light of Gods countenance and lie in his bosom all the day long and others Youngmen-Saints making great conquests and obtaining victories over temptations and when they hear Father-Saints tell long stories of their antient acquaintance with Christ through every turn and dispensation and what variety of experiences they have had in all conditions and withal how little joy victory experience c. they themselves have they are apt to envy and regret the others enjoyments and glory So perhaps on the other side when the Fathers hear the younger ones speak of experiences how they lisp and speak but dimidiata verba half words and see how short they fall of their attainments when the Young-men see how the Children are baffled and led into captivity by temptations when the little Children see how ignorant the Babes are and that they know not their Father at such times the rich and strong are apt to deride or at least to undervalue the poor and weak as unworthy of their company and converse 'T is but too common with them that know much to know it too much and for them that are wise and rich though but in their own eyes so many times to have very low thoughts and to speak as meanly of their inferiours but it should not be so with Saints if it be 't is their infirmity not to give it a worse name let not therefore him that eateth strong meat despise him that eateth milk nor let him that eateth but milk envy him that eateth strong meat that I may allude something to what the Apostle speakes in another case Rom. 14.3 6. Seeing there are several degrees of Saints let all be willing that each may have a share and portion at a Sermon or in an Epistle as here in 1 Job 2.13 14. or at least that some may be spoken to at one time and some at another for we cannot speak to all at once Some men must have patience at a Doal for all cannot be served at one time so it is in this case Some when they come to a Sermon think nothing worth the hearing but what is spoken to their case and truly almost so many minds as men if it be not a discourse for humbling saith one for consolation saith another for exhortation saith a third 't is nothing worth Thus one is for Paul another for Apollo and a third for Cephas some for Barnabas and others for Boanerges some for the Law and others for free-grace some for Faith and others for Works Fathers are for antiquities Young-men for wars Children for love-tokens and Babes for milk But my beloved all should wait for their meat and portion in due season And 7. Every one should endeavour to make the best use of what they hear and read All Scripture is profitable and is written for every ones learning Are Fathers spoken to 't is of use to the younger sort to provoke them to aspire and endeavour after such attainments and experiences and therefore the Apostle resolved to go on and to treat of perfection strong meat and doctrine though his Hearers were but Babes Heb. 6.1 Are the younger sort spoken to 't is of use to Fathers to call to remembrance what once they were for such were some of you And also to stir them up to thankfulness that God hath advanced them to a state of which it may be said such honour have not all the Saints and to say as David did Who am I O Lord God and what is my house that thou bast brought me bitherto 2 S●m 7.18 I have heard of an eminent person who had been with others at a Sermon and when some complained and seemed to be offended because the Preacher was a Boanerges and threatned

through Jesus Christ our Lord with the mind I my self do serve the Law of God Rom. 7.25 There is therefore no condemnation to me who am in Christ Jesus and walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8.8 Though I wretch that I am may be sins Captive yet not ●●s Subject that I should obey it in the lusts thereof sin may domineer but hath no dominion over me because I am not under the Law but under Grace Rom. 6.1 18. thou Satan knowest that I am none of sins Servants Beside 5. I confess my sin and have my pardon and what dost thou Satan say to this or what canst thou say against it that God should forgive my sin according to what is said in 1 Joh. 1.8 9. have I not reason to be of good cheer though by reason of thee my warfare is not accomplished yet God hath spoken to mine heart and said Son be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee 'T is not against thee that I have sinned but against God which goes most to my heart and if God pardon me what 's that to thee is thine eye evil because God is good and gracious may he not do without thy leave what he will with his own Lastly 6. Satan to stop thy mouth I have an Advocate with the Father both his and mine Jesus Christ the righteous who is the Propitiation for my sin 1 Joh. 2.1 2. Thou hast nothing to lay to the charge of Gods Elect for he justifies Rom. 8.33 Canst thou condemn seeing Christ hath died yea and is risen again he died for our sin and is risen for our Justification Rom. 4.25 yea he is at the right hand of God and appears in Heaven for us and ever liveth to make Intercession for them that come to God by him and so saves perfectly and to the utmost what hast thou to say to this away Satan for I have heard a voice a loud voice saying from Heaven Now is Salvation and strength and the Kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of the Brethren is cast out which accused them before our God day and night but they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their Testimony and loved not their lives unto the Death Rev. 12.10 11. This shall suffice to have spoken to this thing from whence a fair way is open to proceed in to shew what is meant by their having overcome the wicked one where I am to shew what the notion of overcoming doth import and in what sense and how far they have overcome the wicked one CHAP. VI. What is meant by their overcoming the wicked one TO their being strong and the Word of God abiding in them this is added that they have overcome the wicked one viz. the Devil That it is so needs no proof for St. John's saying so is witness enough And we know that his witness is true Joh. 21.24 That therefore which we have to do is 1. To shew in what sense they have And 2. how and how far they have overcome the wicked one To overcome is a word that is used in a Forensick and in a Military sense as it refers to the Court and to the Camp 't is a Law term and a term of War in a legal or Court sense 't is to overcome by right and justification to be cleared and justified as to any charge and indictment laid against them to overcome in a Military sense is to conquer by might by dint of Sword which in the School sense is to overcome by force of Argument In the first sense to be cleared and justified is to overcome as appears by comparing Psal 51.4 with Rom. 3.4 in the Psalm 't is that thou maist be justified and cleared in the Romans 't is that thou maist be justified and overcome now in this sense not only the Young men but all the Saints are conquerors and do overcome that is there is no condemnation but justification to and for them Rom. 8.1 with 33 34 38 39. though they are condemned by men yet justified by God as Christ was put to death in the flesh but justified in and by the Spirit Though the Devil accuse yet Christ their Advocate pleads for and to their justification and they are freed in foro Dei in Gods Court which is a relieving Chancery against the cruel Sentences of Common Law so that nothing separates them from the Love of God in Christ To this sense speaks also the 1 Cor. 15.57 1 Joh. 5.18 But in the Military sense 't is that we are most specially to understand the conquest and overcoming spoken of these Young men in our Text they have overcome by meer strength of the word and Faith so that they not only overcome him as justified from his charge and indictment but overcome his temptations by dint of Sword i. e. by strength of Argument from the Word abiding in them If the Devil plead sin and guilt they plead Christ and his satisfaction if the Devil witness against them that they are not they produce the witness of the Spirit that they are the Children of God and so overcome him So that the Young-man is a double conqueror by right and might by Word and Sword at the Bar and in the Field they overcome by strength of Faith or believing in Christ or rather by the strength of Christ believed in But then How and how far have they overcome the Devil is not slain he is in being still and hath a power of tempting still how then is it said that they have overcome the wicked one may not the Devil rally and recruit again may he make no more onsets on the Young men To this some make Answer thus that the Praeter Tense is put for the Future q.d. you shall as certainly overcome as if you had overcome while the Word of God abideth in you you shall never be overcome and so do overcome and may be said to have overcome So the called of God are said to be saved because they shall be saved 1 Cor. 1.18 with 2 Tim. 1.9 So Christ is said to have yea saith that he hath overcome the world Joh. 16.33 when yet his conquest was not compleat till his Resurrection and Ascension nor is fully and wholly so till all his enemies be made his Footstool So he saith Joh. 17.4 I have finished the work thou hast given me to do when as yet he had not died which command he was to obey having received it from his Father Joh. 10.18 Many other places are spoken at this rate to denote the certainty of what shall be 't is said to be done because it shall be done So say they here the Young men have overcome the wicked one i. e. they are to fight and though the dispute be so hot and fierce as that to a stander by it may be doubtful whether the Young men will overcome the Devil or the Devil them yet