Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	death_n	grace_n	sin_n	2,826	5	5.1233	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80622	The grounds and ends of the baptisme of the children of the faithfull. Opened in a familiar discourse by way of a dialogue, or brotherly conference. / By the learned and faithfull minister of Christ, John Cotton, teacher of the Church of Boston in New-England.	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1646 (1646)	Wing C6436; Thomason E356_16; ESTC R201141	171,314	214

for such a state in which they receive the offer and meanes of grace which to the elect seed doe become effectual much lesse do we teach that by vertue of a believers being in a state of grace all his children doe partake of the same grace with him and that so farre as he doth These things wee neither believe nor professe neither can they be gathered from our doctrine by any just consequence Secondly to your second the answer is as easie For 1. We doe not say that the children of believers are holy with that holinesse which accompanyeth regeneration and mortifieth originall corruption but onely with that holinesse whereby they are admitted to the meanes of grace with promise of efficacy to the elect seed and offers thereof to the rest so farre as to leave them without excuse 2. Suppose we did hold that which is farre from us to conceive that all infants in the Covenant were regenerate and so holy as well as their beleeving Parents and as farre as they Yet that would not take away the being or remaining of Originall sinne in them but onely the reigning of it For doe you thinke that the being of Originall sin is taken away from regenerate believers We for our part believe what we have cause to grone under that Originall sin remaineth in a believer and though it be pardoned and in some measure mortified yet it is not utterly destroyed till death To your third wee deny that our doctrine is any ground of falling away out of an estate of grace if you speake of an estate of saving grace For wee doe not say that all within the Covenant or under the seale of the Covenant are in an estate of saving grace Though in a large sense all the members of the Church whether Infants or Professors of the faith are in such a state of grace as that they do partake of the common gifts of grace and of the Ordinances of grace Neverthelesse they may fall away from such grace which the Apostle feared in some of the Galatians Gal. 5.4 To your fourth and last we answer it were a false slander if you should report that our Doctrine doth hold forth that ever Esau or Ishmael were subjects of a saving estate of saving grace For though we say they were borne under the Covenant of grace and were made partakers of the seale of the Covenant yet wee doe not say they were ever subjects of Gods saving grace It is a grace to partake in the meanes of grace and in the enjoyment of many gifts of common grace and in the offers of saving grace and yet many have enjoyed all these who neverthelesse were never subjects of saving grace neither of election whereof your two former texts speake nor of perseverance in the Covenant whereof your two latter speake And to fall from such an estate of grace I leave it to you upon second thoughts to judge whether it tend to Popery and Arminianisme or no. To gather up then the summe of all this discourse about the Covenant of Abraham to an head You have seen it now proved and maintained against all exceptions 1. That God made a Covenant of grace with Abraham and his seed 2. That God gave circumcision to be a seale of the same Covenant to Abraham and to all his infant-seed 3. That by the redemption of Christ the Covenant and blessing of Abraham is come upon the beleeving Gentiles and our seed 4. These things being already cleared the fourth thing that remaineth to be cleared is that circumcision being now abolished Baptisme succeedeth in the roome thereof as a seale of the same Covenant to believers and our seed Which if it may appeare then it will appeare also that the same Covenant of grace which gave a Commandement or word of institution for the Circumcision of faithfull Abraham and his seed doth also hold forth the same commandement and word of institution for the Baptism of faithfull Gentiles and our seed Now that Baptisme doth succeed Circumcision it is evident from the testimony of Paul Col. 2.11 12. where the Apostle having proved that we are compleat in Christ by the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelling in him v. 9 ●0 Lest it might bee objected that wee want circumcision and consequently we want the spirituall benefit signified and sealed by it which is the cutting off of the body of the sinnes of the flesh the Apostle answereth wee are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sinnes of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ v. 11. And lest it should have been objected againe that wee want an outward signe and seale of this spirituall benefit the putting off of the body of the sinnes of the flesh The Apostle answereth again no neither doe we want the outward sign and seale thereof we being buried with him in Baptisme v. 12. The Argument seemeth to me somewhat weake Silvester and therefore a weake answer shall serve What though Baptisme succeed circumcision must it needs follow that as infants were circumcised so they must of necessity be baptized The new Testament succeedeth the Old must it needs therefore follow that the same Order be observed now as then It is well that you acknowledge the weaknesse of your answer Silvanus for if you had not the weaknesse of it bewrayeth it selfe but we acknowledge no weaknesse of the Argument unlesse it bee the weaknesse of God which the Apostle saith is stronger then men 1 Cor. 1.25 But you are deceived if you thinke a weake answer will serve a weake argument a weake adversary despised gathereth strength by contempt The Gileadites being despised as fugitives proved too heard for the Ephraimites Judg. 12.4 The Jewes being despised for a feeble company strengthened themselves in God from the contempt of their despisers Nehem. 4.2 3 4. yea there is no sinfull weaknesse of the Creature no not any weak thought but requireth weapons mighty through God to subdue it 2 Cor. 10.4 5. And therefore you are much mistaken when you thinke a weake Answer will serve a weak Argument But let us consider your answer such as it is What though say you Baptisme succeedeth Circumcision must it needs follow that as infants were circumcised they must of necessity be baptized Yes verily or else Baptisme doth not succeed Circumcision for what is succession but the substitution of latter things for former things in the same subject If the subject bee changed so farre as there is a change of the subject there is no succession If Belshazzar dye and Cyrus or Darius reigne in Persia here is no succession But if Belshazzar King of the Chaldeans die and Darius King of Persia succeed in the Kingdome of the Chaldees then there is a true succession else not especially in the case in hand it was requisite for the clearing of the Apostles doctrine that Baptism should succeed upon all those persons on whom Circumcision proceeded or else the