Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	effect_n	faith_n	true_a	2,871	5	5.8103	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47489	The everlasting covenant, a sweet cordial for a drooping soul, or, The excellent nature of the covenant of grace opened in a sermon preached January the 29th, at the funeral of Mr. Henry Forty, late pastor of a Church of Christ, at Abingdon, in the county of Berks, who departed this life Jan. 25th 1692/3 and was interr'd at Southwark ... : to which is added, An elegy on the death of the said minister / by Benjamine Keach ...	Keach, Benjamin, 1640-1704.	1693 (1693)	Wing K62; ESTC R10226	54,891	60

Bodies He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not freely give us all things Rom. 8 32. may it not from these two Scriptures be confidently asserted that all Christ dyed for shall be saved i. e. shall have Grace here and Glory hereafter doth not the Apostle argue from the greater Gift of God's Grace to the lesser Gift and that he that gave the greater will not stick to give the lesser Were not all that Christ died for chosen in him before the foundation of the World that they should be holy and without blame before him in love Ephes. 1.4 5. and did not the Father promise him that he should see his Seed and doth not Christ say all that the Father gave to him shall come to him that is shall have Faith and can any come that were not given to him If Faith and Repentance be given to the Elect who are saved Can others come to Christ who have not the like Faith and Repentance given to them doth not Faith flow from a Principle of divine Life and can there be such a noble Effect without the cause from whence it proceeds Can a dead Man quicken himself or can he refuse to live that has life infused into him Thy People shall be willing in the day of thy Power Psal 100.3 in the Beauty of Holiness Is Christ a true and proper Redeemer of all and yet a multitude are left under sin and wrath and never redeemed nor many of them never hear of this Saviour or Redeemer at all 4. This also reproves all such who render the Covenant of Grace in its nature like the Covenant of Works i. e. if we perform the Condition we stand if we perform it not we fall it being made with us and so our Covenant God expects we discharge our Obligation therein for 't is evident as we enter into Covenant with God according to these men's Notions at our Baptism or be it before and Baptism be but a Sign or Token of it there is no surety here to engage for us unless it be as it is among some of this sort those they call God-fathers and God-mothers O! what a dangerous state are we in if this be so i. e. if Christ be not to perform his Obligation for us as our Surety to God that we may not be lost nor miscarry but that all depends upon our own performances on our holy Watchfulness and sincere Obedience for if Man at first did not stand when he had no sin no corrupt nature no body of sin and death how should we stand and weather the Storm now we are so corrupted so depraved and have a thousand Snares laid for us in every place that have such a deceitful Heart such a deceitful Devil and a bewitching World to encounter ●t withal if as Doctor Goodwin hints Man suffered shipwrack when he ●●d so firm so strong and well-built Ship and when he had so good a ●●lot as his Will was to him before he fell and a calm Sea who will be 〈◊〉 mad to venture to Sea now on such a leaky and rotten Vessel and ●●ve no better a Pilot than his own base depraved and corrupt Will to ●●eer this ship on such tempestuous and dangerous Seas The truth is the Covenant of Grace is not ordered in all things and ●●e if what these men say be true that a Man may be a Child of God 〈◊〉 day and a Child of the Devil to morrow and that justified Persons ●ay so fall away as to perish for ever 5. This reproves all such who when convinced of their sinful and lost condition by nature then presently set upon a Work of Reformation and 〈◊〉 on duties of Humiliation and then begin to see as they think a great change is wrought in them and on that rest and Hope all is well Like 〈◊〉 Herod who heard John and reformed many things Mark 6.20 Alas Sirs ●●l this building will fall to the ground is this to take hold of the Covenant Is this to get Union with Christ is this Regeneration is this to believe on the Lord Jesus Act. 16.31 that you may be saved ●our own Works be they what they will like Chaff they shall be bur●ed up True if you reform not your Lives which the Terrors of the ●aw and Laws of the Land may force some of you to do or Shame and reproach and Fear of Hell Torments you shall certainly be damed yet his you may do and yet never be saved 't is so far from a bare Reforma●ion of Life that will stand you in stead that a Saint's Salvation Hope and Desire lies not in a changed Heart nor in inherent Grace nor ●●ncere Obedience but in Christ in his Righteousness it lies in this Covenant not in their Baptismal Covenant not in being Church-Members not in Praying and hearing Sermons and breaking of Bread but in Christ and in the Covenant of Grace this is all my Salvation and all my Desire c. 6. This reproves such likewise that remain under the Spirit of Bondage and slavish Fear after God hath graciously awakened them convinced them of their Sins and lost Condition without Christ and hath let out a Spirit of burning upon them that has burned up all their former Hopes Faith and Confidence which they once had in the Flesh and are bro●en into pieces in the sight and sense of the evil of Sin Souls what aileth you what 's the cause of your Disquietments and Sorrow Is there no Help No Relief for your Souls in this Covenant Dare you not venture on Christ Is there not all things that you want in Christ and ●n this Covenant May be you will say O! your sins are great what tho' there is great pardoning Mercy in this Covenant a great Saviour ●or you are you sinners wounded sinners sin-sick sinners lost and undone sinners then I declare nay proclaim Peace to you in Christ good News O Soul is brought this day to your Ears here is a Christ for you Pardon for you in this Covenant I will forgive their Iniquities their Sins I will remember no more Will you make God a Liar and not believe the Record he hath given of his Son Joh. 5.10 Secondly By way of Exhortation I must exhort you that lead ungodly Lives to tremble you who are condemned and refuse the Offers of God's Grace by Christ in this Covenant What do you mean will you value your base Lusts above God above Christ above the Salvation of your Souls can you think God will give himself to you or Christ espouse you that live in and love your sins your dishonouring and Soul-damning Pride Covetousness Uncleanness Drunkenness c. or any Deeds of Darkness which God's Soul loaths be exhorted to adhere to the Truth of God's Justice the Veracity of his Word the Denounciations of his Wrath which is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men Rom. 2.18 Shall Christ and

to God's free Promise as the immediate and sole Cause of Pardon and Life as all true Protestants formerly affirmed and not by Christ's procuring a New Covenant for us to enter into with God which if we answer the Condition thereof i. e. repent and believe we shall be saved Which Faith as Mr. Baxter Mr. W c. assert taken in the full Extent and Latitude is nothing else but universal Obedience and that so it is to be understood when 't is said that Faith alone Justifies viz. Faith and all other Graces both in Habit and Exercise Mr. Baxter's Aph. 65. And they that thus believe and obey the Gospel shall be saved though their Obedience be not perfect but if Christ fulfilled the Law for us then say I that Obedience of his must be imputed to us as if we had wrought it and so we by the Application of that Righteousness are Justified in God's sight from the Accusation of the Law without any Works or procuring Conditions performed by us But as one observes when these Men speak of Faith as a single Grace 't is defined to be a sincere Acceptance of Christ as Lord and Saviour and so it Justifies meerly as it is a consenting to be ruled and saved by Christ which is saith he neither an Assent to the Truth of the Promises nor Assurance or Trust in them one or both of which all Men understand by Faith both in Scripture and common Speaking but it is an Act of Obedience or rather a Covenant or Promise of Obedience whereby a Man engageth That he will seek after Salvation in ways of Obedience to Christ's Commands and indeed they referr to the Baptismal Covenant made in Infancy And thus Faith Justifies as they intimate as it doth in part fulfill the New Law by engaging us to Obedience and in all this Christ is look'd upon as King or Rector chiefly and not as a Saviour for as Mr. Troughton notes if Christ's Righteousness doth not immediately Justifie us and is made ours then he is a Saviour but remotely as the Word is usually taken to denote his making Satisfaction for us as a Priest viz. As by his Death he procured a Possibility of Pardon and makes way for a New Covenant to be made with Man so that Christ's main Business as a Savour by this Opinion is to grant new and tolerable Terms of Salvation to command Faith Repentance and Obedience and to annex a Promise of eternal Life to them and so to justifie and save us if we fulfill these Conditions to the end of our Days and that God as a just and impartial Judge will give Sentence for or against us according to this Law so that we are justified by our Obedience to this Law and saved by a King proceeding according to his own Law and Faith is nothing else but a submitting to this Law and to the Terms required in it which things saith he certainly make a Covenant of Works tho' it differs from the First Covenant of Works and this if I mistake them not is their Covenant of Grace by which I never expect to be saved But to proceed 5thly The Covenant of Grace is well ordered in all things for our good for all things which we need are contained in it either in respect of deliverance from present and future Evil and to our being possess'd or invested with all true spiritual and eternal Good 1. We were Enemies to God by Sin and God an Enemy to us but by this Covenant God is reconciled to us Jesus Christ hath so pacified his Wrath that now God says Fury is not in me Isa. 27. When we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Rom. 5.10 The Angels that first brought the Tydings of our Saviour's Birth cryed Peace on earth good will to men Christ by the Blood of this Covenant hath made up that Breach and Reconciled God to us and by his Spirit he removes that Enmity that naturally is in our Hearts against God and so reconciled us to God he is our Days-man that lays his Hand upon both he is not a Mediator of one that is not of God only but of Man also he brings God to Man and Man to God 2. We were the Children of Wrath and under the Curse of the Law but by the Grace of this well ordered Covenant we are made the Children of God and we are delivered from the Curse of the Law Christ hath delivered 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 Gal. 3.13 4. 3. We had lost the Image of God but by this Covenant 't is restored to us again and so restored that we shall never lose it any more 4. We were dead blind naked in bonds in prison but by the Grace of God in this Covenant we are quickened Eph. 2.1 2. have the eyes of our understandings enlightned Eph. 1.18 have our naked Souls cloathed with the robe of righteousness are brought out of Prison and all our Wounds are healed Sent out of the pit wherein was no water by the blood of the covenant Zech. 9.11 5. We were guilty and filthy Creatures but by this Covenant we are justified and sanctified we are acquitted pronounced righteous and all our Sins pardoned and washed away in the Fountain of Christ's Blood 1 Cor. 6.11 Rev. 1.5 6. We were condemned and ready to have the Sentence executed upon us and cast into Hell to be burned alive for ever and ever even there where the worm dyeth not and the fire is not quenched but by the Grace of this Covenant we are saved and shall be eternally we are not only delivered from all Evil or from whatsoever was hurtful to us but are invested with all true internal and eternal Good We by this Covenant have union with God adoption free access to the Father yea all things that appertain to life and godliness and when this Life is ended eternal Life and Glory in Heaven therefore 't is well ordered in all things for our good Fifthly It is a sure Covenant ordered in all things and sure 1. 'T is a sure Covenant because it was made in and with our blessed Surety Jesus Christ the Lord would not enter into Covenant with us any more nor take our Bond for that great Summ of Ten thousand Talents that vast Debt which we had contracted and were never able to pay for we had nothing no not one Farthing And therefore unless a Surety could be found who was able and sufficient to enter into Bond with God for us we must have perished for ever we were Arrested by the Justice of God for breach of his Holy Law and in Prison and must suffer Infinite Wrath and divine Vengeance for the just demerit of our Sin had not the Wise and Almighty God sought out a Surety to pay our Debt and undertaken this New Covenant for us Now Jesus

hath given to him in the said Covenant and indeed whatsoever was necessary unto our Redemption and Reconciliation he agreed to work it out they agree in their end which was God's Glory and our Good as by and by I shall God assisting shew Salvation of the Seed is the grand Design of it and therefore the highest Grace and Goodness imaginable to us and whatsoever we stood or do stand in need of in order to Interest by way of Application is also contained in this Covenant as it was made with Christ as 1. Justification by his Knowledge or by the Knowledge of him shall my righteous Servant justifie many for he shall bear their Iniquities Isa. 53.11 and that all his Seed shall have such a knowledge or Faith God saith they shall all know me c. for he shall bear their Iniquities that is he shall satisfie the Justice and Law of God and therefore they must be justified or acquitted otherwise saith Mr. Pool the same Debt should be twice required and paid a new Heart is promised to us Jer. 31.31 and was not this promised to Christ for us in the Text I last mentioned Isa. 53.11 in knowing of God is not a new Heart comprehended in these words he shall see his Seed the fruit of his travel and anguish he pass'd through that is they shall be made his by Regeneration or Renovation c. 5. Is not Union with Christ the only way to the promised Blessings and therefore I must say with some of our late worthy Writers the Covenant is made joyntly with him and us all the promises of God are in him ye and in him Amen 2 Cor. 1.2 and shall infailably be made good and accomplished 6. As Mr. Petto well observes the Covenant expressure from the beginning ran first to Christ and in him to us 1. The Promise to Adam primarily runneth to Christ as the Woman's Seed and so to us in him 2. To Abraham in thee and again in thy Seed shall all the families of the Earth be blessed Gen. 12.3 Gen. 22.18 that this Promise refers to Christ see Gal. 3.16 and to us in him see vers 29. 3. The Covenant with David runneth to Christ and also in him to us Psal. 89.20.28 29. I have found David my Servant my Covenant shall stand fast with him when did God find him Was it not before the World began Christ we know is often called David But I can't further enlarge on this I shall therefore in the next place consider what is brought in Opposition to what I have said upon this Account Object 'T is objected First that the Parties are distinct in the one Covenant the Father and the Son are the covenanting Parties in the Covenant of Grace God and Man in the Mediatory Covenant there are two Persons equal in the Covenant of Grace there is a superiour God and an inferiour Man Answ. 1 st I would know whether all the Elect were not considered in Christ and was it not for us that he entered into that Covenant Is not the Debter a party with the Surety and so the Elect a party with Christ Did Christ enter into a Covenant for himself tho' we say he is the Saviour the Redeemer the Surety and not we yet he entered into that Covenant for us i. e. as our Saviour and Surety to satisfie for our Sins and perfect our Redemption make us no party in the Salvation of this Covenant tho' not the saving or satisfying party and all our hopes are gone for ever Sirs We shall find the Top Glory of the Covenant of Grace to lie here was it not infinite Grace and Goodness that moved God to fix upon this way to redeem us i. e. to propound offer and accept of a Surety for us when he might justly have exacted Satisfaction from us the guilty Debters and Criminals Nay and to chuse his own Son to be our Saviour and Surety and was it not infinite Grace in Christ to accept so readily and heartily of it 'T is plain here began the Covenant of Grace i. e. God's entering into a Covenant with his Son for us and thus is God the Father the efficient cause of our Redemption 2. I would know whether in the Covenant of Grace God is said to enter into Covenant with Man simply considered as in himself or whether 't is not with Christ and so in him with us if Christ be the Surety of the Covenant of Grace then God doth not take Christ distinct from us into Covenant with himself and certainly our credit was so lost and gone with God that he would not trust us with any Covenant-Transaction any more without a Surety they continued not in my Covenant and I regarded them not saith the Lord Heb. 8.9 I would have no more to do with them in a Covenant way therefore all the Promises of Grace are in Christ all is managed in Christ even all the whole Will of God concerning our Salvation we are dead till he quickens us blind till he opens our Eyes have stony Hearts and unregenerate till he breaks our Hearts and renews us by his Spitit and was not all this comprehended or included in that Covenant our Brethren call the Covenant of Redemption how then can that be a distinct Covenant from the Covenant of Grace is dead Man vile and depraved Man capable to enter into a Covenant with God and is not the quick'ning and changing of his Heart one great Part of the Covenant of Grace that God promised upon Christ's Undertakings that he would do for us as I have shewed Object 2. The time of making these Covenants is different the Covenant of Grace was made in time after Man had broken the Covenant of Works but the Covenant of Redemption was made from Eternity I was set up from Everlasting c. The Revelation of the Covenant of Redemption was in time but the Stipulation was from Eternity the Father and Son being actually in Being and so Stipulators the Decree of making the Covenant of Grace was from Eternity but not the actual Covenant because there was no Soul to Covenant with Answ. I wonder at this Expression was not the Covenant of Grace as I said before made with us in Christ as our Head and Representative before the Foundation of the World and was not those Covenanting Transactions as well as the Spring or Fountain of the cause of all the Grace we receive in the Covenant of Grace upon the Account of what Christ Covenanted to do and suffer for us or in our room and stead True the Members were not actually in Being but the Head was and if it be not thus what doth the Apostle mean Tit. 1.2 In hope of Eternal Life which God that cannot lie promised before the World began It could not actually be promised to us we as they say having then no Being therefore it was promised to us in our Head with whom the Covenant was then for us made was not Christ