Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	open_v	seal_n	seal_v	1,844	5	9.6479	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80754	The covenant of God with Abraham, opened. Wherein I. The duty of infant-baptism is cleared. II. Something added concerning the Sabbath, and the nature and increase of the kingdome of Christ. Together with a short discourse concerning the manifestations of God unto his people in the last dayes. Wherein is shewed the manner of the spirits work therein to be in the use of ordinary gifts, not by extraordinary revelations. / By William Carter minister of the gospel in London.	Carter, William, 1605-1658.	1654 (1654)	Wing C679; Thomason E811_5; ESTC R207606	118,861	192

forbid the application of the seal to Infants it behoveth them to shew by what warrant from God they make that alteration And whereas they of that opinion against Infant-Baptisme think that they are onely upon the negative part and therefore call for a precept or example to prove the lawfulnesse thereof thinking it sufficient because as they suppose neither precept nor example can be found thereupon to refuse the practice of it in this they are mistaken As for a command there it is Gen. 17. 9. Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore that is shalt perform the token of it thou and thy seed after thee in their Generations which as hath been shewed is a command which lieth upon Abrahams spiritual seed now in the times of the New Testament and it behoveth such as deny Infant-Baptisme to shew that God hath made such an alteration in the token or seal of his covenant as that it is now not to be applyed unto Infants and whereas the application of it unto them was a part of the token or seal thereof before Christ that since Christ it hath by a word of institution from God ceased so to be Thirdly This application of the token of the covenant unto Infants cometh not onely under the notion of a duty but also of a priviledge therefore is it said Acts. 7. 8. he gave to Abraham the covenant of circumcision and so he begat Isaac and circumcised him the eighth day It was therefore a gift conferred upon him and his which being given to Abraham and to his spiritual seed in their generations to him as the father of all them that believe to all beleevers as his seed a priviledge both to parents and to children which I say being once given by God who may presume to take it away without a word and warrant from himselfe and we know the gifts of God are without repentance Rom. 11. 29. therefore is it not to be imagined that by him it should be taken from his people least of all that now in the times of the new Testament his bounty to them should be short of what it was before Obj. It will be objected yet further that this command thus urged is onely from the Old Testament but if the application of the token of Abrahams covenant to Infants now had been intended the New Testament had not been so silent in it as not to leave us one precept or example for it To this I answer Answ First that the New Testament is not altogether silent in this matter as for instance Acts. 2. 38. where Peter said unto the people Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus for the demission of sinnes and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost for the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off that is even to the Gentiles also even as many as the Lord our God shall call Namely the promise of receiving the Holy Ghost which he saith they should receive upon their repentance and baptisme according to that in Joel mentioned vers 17. that in the last days God would poure out of his spirit upon all flesh as well upon Gentiles as Jewes and not onely so but also according to Gods promise unto Abraham therefore he saith it was not onely unto them but also to their children for as we may grant that in Joel to be here meant so we must not exclude that of Abraham for they are both as one in this matter The gift of the Holy Ghost and that also to the Gentiles is a main branch of Abrahams covenant as we see Gal. 3. 13 14. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith Nor may we confine that promise in Joel to extraordinary gifts of tongues and miracles because it is a promise that was not to expire with the Apostles times Acts 2. 17. but extendeth to all the latter days and unto all those whom the Lord calleth among the Gentiles and is yet in fulfilling when all those gifts are ceased for that phrase the last dayes in Scripture signifieth all that space of time from the comming of Christ in the flesh to the end of the world 1. Tim. 4. 1. 2. Tim. 3. 1. Heb. 1. 2. 9. 26. And if the words be considered it will appear that the ordinary gifts of the spirit are also included therein Mark the words In the last days saith God I will poure out of my spirit upon all flesh This in the general In particular it followeth First your Sons and your Daughters shall prophesie and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams This we may understand of extraordinary gifts and prophesying fulfilled in the Apostles Prophets extraordinarily inspired in the Primitive times of use then in laying the foundations of the Church of the New Testament being of the seed of the Jews Secondly and on my servants and my handmaids will I pour out of my spirit in those days and they shall prophesie This must be meant of ordinary gifts because it is made a distinct thing to the former as that which God would do for all his servants he would give them the spirit of prophesie as we see Rev. 19. 10. when John would have worshiped the Angel because he had revealed such prophesies unto him the Angel forbids him saying See thou do it not and for this reason for saith he I am thy fellow servant namely in this thing and not onely his but also of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesie Now every beleever hath the testimony of Jesus so is it said Rev. 12. 17. The Dragon made Warre with the Church which keep the commandements of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ So chap. 1. 9. Therefore every beleever hath the spirit of prophesie although not so as to preach in the Church a priviledge forbidden unto Women 1 Cor. 14. 34. 35. yet to understand the prophesies which the Saints of the Old Testament ordinarily had not the prophesies were as things sealed up in those dayes but Christ hath opened the seales of that book to us of the New Testament 1 Pet. 1. 10. 11. Dan. 12. 9. Rev. 5. A promise to this effect we have also to all beleevers Joh. 16. 13. when the spirit of truth is come he shall lead you into all truth and he shall shew you things to come So Joh. 2. 13 20 27. he saith not onely to fathers and young men but also unto little children in religion that they had received the unction of the holy one and they knew all things being taught by that anointing As these places must be understood of what is common to all beleevers

which the Spirit was to shew Obj. 2. But it is said vers 13. that the Spirit should lead them into all truth and shew them things to come which seems to restrain this place to be meant onely of the Apostles because others are not led into all truth nor doth it shew things to come to all beleevers Answ To this I answer that we find the like affirmed of all beleevers 1 Joh. 2. 20. where the Apostle speaking to all sorts of Christians under the names of Fathers Young Men and Little Children v. 13. saith Ye have an unction from the holy one and ye know all things Which is not so to be understood as if these little Children though they had the Unction had nothing hid from their knowledge for then what needed the Apostle to write to them because of those who did seduce them v. 26 nor can it be said of the Apostles themselves that they were so led into all truth as that no truth was unknown to them the Apostle sayes we know in part therefore that is not the meaning but that it is the property and office of the spirit to lead us into truth and into one truth as well as another and that all truth at last the Church shall be led into by the Spirit and that so far as we are led by the spirit we are led into the truth which being but in part we know but in part in this life As for his shewing things to come that also is meant of all beleevers who by what the Son hath revealed are put into a capacity by search of the Scriptures to understand prophesies which were things sealed up before even from the Saints which the Spirit enables us to do also by taking of the things of Christ and shewing them unto us Therefore is it said Rev. 5. 6. that the Lamb that was slain took the book of prophesies and opened the seales thereof By fulfilling the prophesies as to his owne person he makes the Saints of these last dayes able to understand them also as to his Church or mystical body Rev. 5. 9. Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seales thereof for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests And this the voice both of the foure living Creatures and of the four and twenty Elders even of the whole Church and company of beleevers Another Testimony to this Doctrine we have Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him God also bearing them witness both with signs wonders and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will Where we see the manifestation is the Sonnes the Lord Christ and the work of the Apostles was to be but Witnesses and Confirmers of it to us for which they were fitted with power of miracles and other gifts of the Holy Ghost which being done the work and office of the Apostles was ended and of no further use but by their Writings unlesse we can suppose that what the Sonne hath spoken needs a further Witnesse or confirmation to our faith Therefore also Christ is said to be the Apostle and High Priest of our profession Heb. 3. 1. because our whole direction in Religion is what he hath spoken to us Thus having found this to be a truth the next thing to be considered is how it comes to passe or what reason can be given since the Lord hath the same abundance of spirit and could as easily speak to us by dreams visions and revelations extraordinary and by persons infallibly inspired now as ever his people also as dear and precious to him why he should now deny his people that which formerly he granted and leave them onely to what he hath spoken by his Sonne to find out the mind of God and the mystery of his will only by the use and improvement of ordinary gifts Among other reasons that might be given of this I shall mention three Reas 1. Because this his speaking by his Sonne hath brought into the world a greater light whereby those wayes of revelation are made uselesse and unprofitable as when the Sunne ariseth all the Starres are out of sight Christ is the Sunne of righteousness who since his rising hath put the Saints into a better state then to stand in need of such waies of light which were in the world before 1. Joh. 2. 8. The darkness is past and the true light now shineth It is true that in the time of the Churches infancy under the law the Saints needed such dispensations and they had them but since his speaking to us by his Sonne the Church is no more as a child under age and it needs them not the reason is because by his speaking to to by his Sonne the Saints are in a better capacity of finding out the minde of God by industry and labour in the use of ordinary gifts by search and study of the Scriptures because the whole mysterie of his will is now revealed for where there is the whole truth discovered in any matter each part will beare witnesse and give illustration to the other which was not so in the times before Christ they had truth but not the whole truth layd open that is the meaning of that place John 1. 18. The Law was given by Moses but truth was by Jesus Christ not that the Law was not truth Psal 119. 142. Thy law is the truth but it was the truth under types and shadows so as much of it was then hidden which now is made manifest The mystery kept hid from ages and generations was revealed by Jesus Christ The Law shews the order but the power is discovered in the Gospel the Law telleth us of life in God in the wayes of his service but it leaves us to ask such questions Who shall ascend into heaven or descend down into the deep and how shall this or that be the Gospel answers all these questions Rom. 10. 5 6 7 8. When a man hath not the whole of a matter before him he cannot see farre into it or make a full judgement of it This was the case before Christ therefore they had need of such Prophets and such wayes of revelation which are uselesse now Therefore also the Apostle saith in opposition to those times that We all with open face behold as in a glasse the glory of the Lord. And so we are to understand our Saviour Matth. 11. 11. concerning John that he was greater then all the Prophets before him and the least in the Kingdom of God greater then he It is not meant of Johns personall gifts or graces for so he was beyond many in the Kingdom of God but of the state of things in generall as they stood then and afterwards in respect of