Selected quad for the lemma: water_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
water_n	bread_n	lord_n	wine_n	3,679	5	7.3104	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33967	The improvableness of water-baptism, or, A discourse concerning the gravity and seriousness of the action and the usefulness of the sacred institution of baptism instructing all parents how great a thing they do when they bring their children to that holy ordinance, and all persons, whether young or old, what obligations their baptism hath brought them under, what wrath it hath exposed wicked and impenitent persons to, and what use they may make of their baptism for confirmation of their faith, and quickening them to repentance and an holy life : discoursed from Rom. 6:3,4, by way of sermon / by John Collinges ...	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.	1681 (1681)	Wing C5321; ESTC R5112	38,449	47

of this We might say these are the Lords Sacraments that you may believe what the Scripture tells you that the sins of souls are only washed out by the blood of Christ here signified and represented and that if ever you will be saved you must as you submit to this Ordinance so also submit to the acceptance of him and his righteousness and look for salvation from him and no other and that you might believe the Gospel is not a Romance but a true History of what he who was the Son of God did in dying for your sins that you might not dye eternally And that when our own unbelieving hearts are over-whelmed in the thoughts of these things and saying Surely such a thing could not be the mercy is too big for the grasp of our reason and comprehension we might help our selves by reflecting on our Baptism and our frequent communicating at the Lords table and chide down those risings of unbelief saying If this were not What is the meaning of sprinkling persons with water in Baptism or our so often meeting at the Lords table to eat bread and drink wine signifying the flesh and blood of Christ And as to that faith which is saving and justifying the object of which is the person of the Mediator the soul is also helped in that as it is helped in the other faith For the more the Soul is confirmed in the Doctrine and Proposition of the Gospel and the truth of that the more ground it seeth to look for no other name under heaven by which it should be saved but to go out of it self unto him as one who because he was God is able to save to the utmost and because he submitted to be made man to dye upon the Cross to pay a price for lost man evidenced his unquestionable willingness to seek and to save that which was lost so as the soul hath no longer any pretence or colour to doubt or question the sufficiency or willingness of this Saviour Thus this great Ordinance if duly improved is of exceeding great use to us to help our Souls in their exercises of faith the Soul as it were here reacheth its hand to put into the holes of Christ's side and its fingers to lay in the print of the nails 2. Nor is it less helpful to the soul in the exercises of holiness And this not only as it layeth the soul under an engagement to it of which I spake sufficiently before but also in regard of the secret blessing of the Lord attending Baptism where a Christian setteth himself to fulfil the ends of it Object 1. But some will say We have been baptized and we do not find such fruits we are full of doubts and fears and unbelief still and we are very unholy still we find no such fruit of our Baptism I Answer 1. Possibly you have not stirred up your Baptismal-grace I remember St. Paul calls to Timothy to stir up the gift of God which was in him and 1 Tim. 4. 14. not to neglect the gift of God which was in him by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery I do not think that any saving-gift is given to any by Baptism more than there is to a Minister by setting him a-part to the Ministry But there is doubtless a gift given the Baptized person conducive to his salvation if he will make a due and just improvement of it he hath a new character put upon him and is by it taken out of the Pagan World he hath a new vow upon him he hath a new dedication Now if men and women will never seriously consider and think on this never revive the memory of it or whet it upon their souls it is no wonder to hear them complain that they find no benefit fruit or advantage by it A Scholar may be at a loss about a Notion or Question in which twenty books he hath in his Study would resolve him but if he knoweth not how to use his books to that end or will never take down a book to look for any help from it he may complain that none of all the books in his Study will do him good in the case The Question is What they would do if he lookt into them or knew how to use them Object 2. But will some say How many baptized persons are there to whom their Baptism is no help nor advantage they notwithstanding it are unbelieving unholy profane persons To this I answer with Cyprian To take upon us Christs name Christi nomen induere non per Christi viam pergere quid aliud est quam praevaricatio divini nominis Cypr. and not to walk in his ways is but to profane and abuse his most holy Name The Soldiers taking Press-money or being listed helps him if he runs from his Colours very little unless it be to a shameful end of his life but if he keeps him to his colours it helps him to his pay and to his reward according to his service A man may have in his Yard several pieces of Timber which do him no service at all he may have great heaps of Stones that do him no good but only annoy and trouble his Yard But if this man begins to build then they help him every stone every foot of Timber is useful to him It is thus with our Baptism it lies by us of little use till we begin the spiritual building it is a piece of timber a stone cut out and squared for that When a man begins this work then his Baptism helpeth In short the water of Baptism is much like the water of jealousie of which you read Numb 5. 27. If the defiled woman adventured to drink of it it became bitter and made her belly to swell and her thigh to rot and the woman to be a curse amongst her people but if she were clean it made her fruitful So doth the water of Baptism in a more spiritual sense If the baptized person after it lives an unbelieving unholy life it causeth a rot in him and becomes a curse to him But if a person adhereth to the faith and lives an holy life in conformity to his Baptismal-Dedication and Vow and maketh use of his Baptism it maketh him fruitful and helpeth him in every good work 4. The last thing wherein I shall shew you the usefulness of this sacred Institution is with reference to its confirming sealing to and assuring of the soul 1. It sealeth to us assureth us of and confirms to us the truth Baptism is useful to assure confirm and seal of the great Proposition of the Gospel That this Rite was used in the Apostolical Church that it hath been used ever since in the Church of Christ is out of doubt Now what is the meaning of it what doth it signifie but that Christ is come into the world to save sinners and that our souls are washed clean from their filthiness by the blood of