Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	believe_v	faith_n	reason_n	7,057	5	5.8990	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90893	Christ and Moses excellency, or Sion and Sinai's glory. Being a triplex treatise, distinguishing and explaining the two covenants or the gospel and law: and directing to the right understanding applying, and finding of the informing and assuring promises, that belong to both Covenants. By Vavasor Povvell, preacher of the Gospel in Wales.	Powell, Vavasor, 1617-1670.	1650 (1650)	Wing P3080; Thomason E1259_1; ESTC R208890	156,531	581

Esau or wherein was the people of the Jewes to bee preferred before other people that he should enter into Covenant with them God himselfe shewes the reason thereof that it was because he (a) Rom. 9.13 Deut. 7 7 8. freely loved them and because it was his pleasure so to doe Ob. But Abraham was a Beleever and circumcised and so were Isaac Jacob and the Israelites and therefore more worthy and deserving then others A. Abraham as I said before was an Idolater and dwelling in (b) Act. 7.1.2 Caldea a land full of (c) Ezek. 23.14 Idolaters Diviners (d) Dan. 2.2 and 4.7 South sayers Sorcerers (e) Job 1.17 Robbers and Spoylers yea the most (f) Hab. 1.6 7 vile hasty bitter persecuting'st and prophanest Nation in the world Yet God out of such an ungodly generation and race cho oses and (g) Esa 51.2 calls out Abraham blesses him and enters into Covenant with him whilst he was yet (h) Rom 4.10 uncircumcised And was not Jacob Esau (i) Mal. 1.2 his brother begotten and born of the same father and mother and at the same time And were not the Jewes (k) Ezek. 16 6 7 8. polluted in their blood naked bare filthy unsavoury and unlovely when the Lord looked upon them and entred into Covenant with them Secondly It may be called a free Covenant a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Veethenah ber thi they are very significant Ethenah from nathan dare and berith from barah eligit because it s given unto those that partake of it Gen. 17.2 the words I will make my Covenant are in the Hebrew I will give my Covenant God saith as it were thus to Abraham Abraham I have chosen thee and thy seed and that onely out of my free love and not out of any merit or demerit in thee and I will enter into a Covenant of grace with thee yea God to assure the Gentiles that it was as free unto them as unto Abraham and the beleeving Jewes he saith twice in one (b) Esa 42 6-49.8 Prophesie that he will give Christ for a Covenant or Christ the Covenant unto them Thirdly because there is no condition required of men when God enters into Covenant with them but what he gives with and through the Covenant unto them for were there any previous precedent condition required of men as from men and not given of God it could not be free For if one man did give to another man but one pound for an estate which is worth a thousand pound it cannot be said that this estate is altogether given for there is some though an invaluable confideration given for and towards it In like manner were man tyed to give to or bring to God any thing as a condition and consideration of the Covenant it could not be altogether free nor properly called a Covenant of grace Ob. But is not faith the condition of the Covenant of grace A. If faith be a (a) Indeed faith is mentioned after the forme and manner of a condition but in truth it is the gift of God as well as life eternall Perkins on Gal. p. 157 condition of the Covenant of grace yet it is such a condition as is promised in the Covenant and freely given by God and therefore not in man nor expected from man till first bestowed on man and wrought in man by God himselfe And therefore God when he enters into Covenant with men doth not come unto them and say men I am come unto you and I am willing to make a Covenant with you if you doe beleeve then I will bee your God and you shall be my people by Covenant but he speaks absolutely positively and without any condition (b) Ier. 31.33 34. I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people and I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more Marke here is no condition at all but every word free and absolute Ob. Nay Sir There is no doubt to be made of it but that faith is a condition of the Covenant of grace for there is nothing more ordinary in Scripture especially the New Testament then to make faith or beleeving a condition of Justification and Salvation as Act. 13.39 he that beleeveth is justified from all things and John 3.36 He that beleeveth on the Son hath everlasting life So that sure faith is the condition of the Covenant of grace and there is no other condition A. 1. It is true and it is not denied but that faith is necessary to Salvation and likewise to Justification in a sense which 1 intend afterwards to treat of yea I affirm as the Scriptures prove at large that no unbeleever shall be saved But that is not the question but the question is whether man must have faith in him before God enters into Covenant with him or whether unbeliefe excludes and barres God from making the Covenant with those that he intends to make it with 2. Whereas you say that faith is the onely condition of the Covenant consider seriously whether the Gospell doth not require (a) Joh. 17.3 2 Thes 1.8 knowledge (b) Lu. 13.3.5 repentance (c) Joh. 3.35 Mar. 18.3 conversion (d) Heb. 12.14 sanctification c. to be in those that are saved If so then I know no reason but that these may be called conditions of the Covenant as well as faith But sure neither these nor faith are found in men when God comes to enter Covenant with them but they are brought with the Covenant yea they are (e) Ezek. 34 25 30 31. Heb 8.11 Ezek. 36.25 26. particular members and branches of the Covenant and therefore cannot be before the Covenant Ob. But is it not Gods part to propound and offer the Covenant unto men and mens part to receive and accept of the Covenant being offered and tendred unto them by God A. It is Gods part not onely to propound and to offer the Covenant but it is his part also yea his (a) Ez. 20.37 promise to bring men into the bonds of the Covenant and to worke a (b) Psa 110.3 Phil. 2.13 willingnesse and (c) Es 40.29 Joh. 1.12 ability in men to receive what he offers and gives to (d) Mat. 12.21 Phil. 1.29 beleeve what he promises and to (e) Ro. 15.18 obey what he commands Ob. Hereby you free the creature from doing any thing at all and you lay the whole worke upon God and so man by this may sit still and doe nothing A. Although God (f) Esa 30.7 saith in another case of men it is their strength to sit still for before God puts forth himselfe to worke on and in men they can do nothing yet this doth not exclude men at all from doing But it shews that at Gods first entring into Covenant with men they are meer passives having no

come in to aggravate their sins that thereby a way might be made for him to display the banner of his grace Doubtlesse there was this gracious end and Evangelicall purpose in the promulgation and setting up of the Law and its Gods usuall way in enhanceing and advancing his love grace and mercy to lead men forth first into a state and condition of distresse and misery As he saith of Israel (b) Hosea 2.14 I will allure her into the wildernesse i.e. into a distressed and afflicted condition and there will I speak comfortably unto her Object How did the Law tend to exalt Christ seeing you said before the Law doth not at all hold forth nor teach Christ Answ Though its very true that the Law doth not directly discover and teach Christ no more then a Statute made against Treason or murther doth direct a Traitor or murtherer where and how to finde pardon or a bond that engages a man to pay a great debt upon penalty shew him where to finde usoney or a surety Yet doubtlesse accidentally the Law doth make a man seek and prize Christ even as the thundring lightning and smoake made the Children of Israell (c) Deut. 5.27 desire Moses to be a Mediator between God and them Fifthly The Law was given that it might be both a standing Covenant and a standing Testament unto the end of the world That it is a Covenant Page 2. I have hinted before and a Testament is very cleare if you consider these Scriptures Exod. 19.4.6 Deut. 4.13 Ier. 31.31 32. Heb. 8.7 8 9. Gal. 4.24 Eph. 2.12 Heb. 8.8 9. though the words in the lines be Covenants yet in the margents which is the best translations they are Testaments Quest What manner of Covenant was and is the Law Answ There be severall opinions herein and they may be reduced into these five Either 1. A Covenant of works or 2. A Covenant of grace or 3. A mix'd Covenant both of works and grace or 4. A subservient or annexed Covenant or 5. Arenewed Covenant Yet as they differ one from another so shall I differ somewhat from them all Quest But before you shew us your owne judgement herein Let us understand what they meane that hold those severall opinions distinctions Answ First they that understand it as a pure Covenant of works conceive that about the Covenant God did make it and intend it to be a Covenant that should give life upon condition of keeping and performing it personally and perfectly Secondly they that thinke it to be a Covenant of grace think that there was no Covenant of works made with men since that made within Adam in Paradice before his fall and so consequently it must be a covenant of grace Thirdly they that thinke it to be a mix'd Covenant doe looke upon it as having some grace in it as in the preface I am the Lord thy God and in the second Commandement God shewing mercy unto thousands Fourthly they that thinke it to be a subservient or annexed Covenant say that God did give it as an apendix to the Covenant of Grace which he made with Adam and renewed with Abraham Isaac and Iacob Fifthly they that make it a renewed Covenant hold that the summe of the ten Commandements was included in that command given to or agreement made with Adam and that the giving of the ten Commandements or morall Law to Israell was nothing else but a clearer and fuller delivery and discovery of that Law Q. Now what manner of Covenant is the Law and under what notion is it to be considered Ans The Law is considered two wayes either as a Covenant or else as a Testament and so relates to two distinct sorts of persons to the one in the former sense and to the other in the latter sense Q. What manner of Covenant is it A. Doubtlesse a pure Covenant of works to some men but not to all and that appeares clearely by these three following reasons 1. Reas 1. Reas Because it doth require works to justification and salvation Lev. 18.5 Ye shall therefore keepe my Statutes and my judgements saith the Lord which if a man doe he shall live in them So Rom. 10.5 Moses describeth the righteousnesse of the Law that the man which doth those things shall live by them so Gal. 3.12 Ezek. 20.11 Rom. 2.13 2. Reas Reas 2. Because it threatens damnation to those that doe not continue in doing the works and performing the conditions thereof Deut. Gal. 3.10 Deut. 27.26 Mat. 5.19 Iam. 2.10 and therefore must needs be a Covenant of works 3. Reas Reas 3. That which is directly opposite to the Covenant of grace in point of justification and salvation must needs be a Covenant of works but the Law is so see Gal. 3.18 Rom. 4.2.6 6.14 15. 11.6 Eph. 2.8 9. Object Object But doth not the Apostle say Is the Law against the promises importing strongly it was not against the Promises Gal. 2.21 Answ One thing may be said to be contrary to another either in way of (b) Mat. 12.30 enmity and opposition and inconsistencie or else in tearmes and conditions In the former of these senses the Law is not against the promises for they are both of them the will of God and consist without destroying each other or being adversaries one to another But in their tearmes and conditions they are very contrary one to another for the one requires works and the other faith which conditions are (c) See the Script in the third Reason often put in opposition one to another Secondly the meaning of that text in the Galathtans that the Law is not against the promise may be this that the Law did not nor could not hinder the promises to justifie those that did believe in Christ and in the promises As a Statute-law amongst men though it be against the justifying of a man that breaks it yet it cannot hinder a man to be justified and acquitted by a pardon of grace Luther gives this exposition of the place that the promises of God hangeth not upon the Law for his promise doth not stand upon our worthinesse neither doth our sinnes committed against the Law hinder God to performe his promises to us Object Object Sure the Law or ten Commandements could not be a Covenant of works because the Covenant of grace was given foure hundred and thirty yeares before it Answ Answ Vpon the same ground there should be no Covenant of works at all for the Covena nt of grace was ever before the Covenant of works and God did never intend the salvation of men no other way then by grace as I have in the first part of this book proved Object Object You say the Law is a Covenant of works in what sence doe you understand it to be a Coveuant of works Answ Answ The greatest doubt and kruple about the Law doth consist in this objection and upon this hinge