Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	aaron_n	lord_n	stretch_v	29	3	10.1360	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36343	A door opening into Christian religion, or, A brief account by way of question and answer of some of the principal heads of the great mystery of Christian religion wherein is shewed by the way that the great doctrines here asserted are no wayes repugnant, but sweetly consonant unto the light of nature and principles of sound reason / by a cordiall well-wisher to that unity and peace which are no conspiratours against the truth.	Cordiall well-wisher to that unity and peace which are no conspiratours against the truth.; Cordiall well-wisher to that unity and peace which are no conspiratours against the truth. Of the sacraments.	1662 (1662)	Wing D1909; ESTC R26732	293,130	633

preached by men I can ill believe the full and through conversion of any person without it But securely confident I am that there is no other ordinance or means designed or assigned by God wherein or whereby the saving conversion of any man ought to be or reasonably can be without this hoped or expected It is not probable and the sense of some of the best expositors is the same that the conversion of Paul was perfected by all that which passed between Christ and him on the way to Damascus or until he had heard and learned more of the minde of Christ from Ananias who in the judgement of some Ancient Writers was one of the seventy Disciples whom Christ himself ordained and sent forth to preach the Gospel Luke 10.1 or as Calvin conceiveth was upon this occasion and in the present vision wherein Christ appeared unto him made a Minister of the Gospel by him Secondly there is this reason evincing the Sacraments not to be converting Ordinances namely because persons unconverted and unbelieving are not regularly capable no not of that Sacramenct which is most like to be converting I mean Baptisme This clearly appears from the answer which Philip made to the Eunuch desiring Baptisme of him in these words See here is water what doth hinder me to be Babtized Philip answereth him if thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest Acts 8 37. plainly implying that otherwise viz. in case he did not thus believe he might not or ought not to be Baptized This had been a very uncharitable and unchristian answer in case he had not so believed if to Baptize him had been so much as a probable or likely means to make him a believer For to require that of a man which he hath not but stands in great need of as a condition for the imparting of that unto him which would supply him is extreamly disingenuous and importune especially when we may impart such a thing unto him without any trouble or damage to our selves which had been Philips case in refusing to Baptize the Eunuch because of his unbelief supposing he had been an unbeliever if Baptizing him had been a means to heal his unbelief and to turn him unto God by believing This which hath been argued concerning Baptism from the Text lately cited might be demonstrated from several others if need were Concerning the Sacrament of the Lords Supper that persons un-converted are altogether as if not rather more uncapable of this and consequently that neither can this be looked upon as a converting Ordinance appears from the nature or import of it or the ●ounsel of God in it as the Apostle describes whether the one or the other 1 Cor. 10.16 17. The cup of blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ that is was not the drinking of it instituted ordained and appointed by Christ that the Communion which believers have in his Blood that is in the great benefit of Redemption purchased by his Blood should hereby be both professed and declared by them openly and likewise nourished strengthened and confirmed in them inwardly Therefore they that are duly capable of drinking this cup must have communion in the Blood of Christ with believers and consequently must be converted before they drink it otherwise in drinking it they shall act hypocritically and make profession of having that which they have not Now doubtless to act hypocritically is no means of conversion or if it were then the most wicked and Prophane persons who stand in most need of conversion ought rather to be invited incouraged and freely admitted to the drinking of the cup we speak of then to be debarred or kept off from the opportunity or to be cast out from amongst those that orderly drink it by a sentence of Excommunication in case they had fellowship with them in the business before their wickedness break out which yet we know was the Discipline of the Primitive Churches injoyned them by the Apostles themselves This likewise plainly evinceth that the meaning of the words mentioned The cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the Blood of Christ is not as some weakly pretend as if the Apostle did imply that the Cup he speaks of was the means of any mans first obtaining or bringing into the communion of the Blood of Christ Such a sense of the words as this as it is opposed by the discipline planted as hath been said by the Apostles and practised in the Primitive Christian Churches so is it inconsistent with the scope of the context and other expressions herein as might be shewed more at large if it were needful or proper to our present undertaking Thus then it is as clear as the Sun rising in his might both by the light of the Scriptures and of grounds in reason attested by them that Sacramental Ordinances are not converting Quest 21. Whether do Sacramental administrations produce any real effects in or upon the hearts and souls of men that do partake of them or work any real alteration in them Answ If answer be made in Scripture language according to the manner of speaking here the effects of Sacramental actions are or may be not simply real but sometimes very great and excellent For this frequently asscribeth even miraculous effects to such causes or means which are of a Sacramental nature Thus the dividing of the waters of the Red Sea when the Israelites passed through o're dry land is by God himself attributed unto Moses his lifting up his Rod and stretching out his hand over it But lift thou up thy Rod saith he to Moses and stretch out thine hand over the Sea and DIVIDE it c. Exod. 14.16 So likewise the reducing of this Sea unto its former course after it had been thus divided and whilst Pharoah and all his Host was in the midst of the Channel of it is ascribed unto the same cause And the Lord said unto Moses stretch out thy hand over the Sea that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians ver 26.27 In like manner the bringing of water out of a Rock is promised by God unto Moses and Aaron their speaking to it Take the Rod and gather thou the assembly together thou and Aaron thy Brother and speak ye unto the Rock before their eyes and it shall give forth its water and TH0U SHALT BRING FORTH to them water out of the Rock c. Numb 20.8 Thus the dividing of the waters of Jordan through which they passed into the land of Canaan seems in like manner to be ascribed to the Priests bearing the Ark before them Isa 3.15 16. So the falling down flat of the walls of Jericho to the sounding of the Trumpets made of Rams Horns by the Priests before the Ark together with the performance of some other like things prescribed unto them by God in order to the same effect Josh 6.13 14 15 c. There are several other instances of like