Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	woman_n	word_n	world_n	127	4	4.2368	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86524	The covenant of grace opened: wherein these particulars are handled; viz. 1. What the covenant of grace is, 2. what the seales of the covenant are, 3. who are the parties and subjects fit to receive these seales. From all which particulars infants baptisme is fully proved and vindicated. Being severall sermons preached at Hartford in New-England. / By that reverend and faithfull minister of the gospel, Mr Thomas Hooker.	Hooker, Thomas, 1586-1647.	1649 (1649)	Wing H2644; Thomason E562_20; ESTC R11285	85,165	88

to baptise although he doe it in a right manner then this may bee something to prove the Church of Rome is not a true Church and although there be baptisme in Rome yet that doth not prove Rome a true Church I doe say that opinion is true that so many hold 5. I say the proposition is false if baptism be administred in a right manner by a faithfull Minister yet that makes not a true Church if an Elder in new England that is rightly called to Office should go among the Indians and baptise In the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost if the subject should not be baptised there were a sin although the ordinance were rightly administred but this would not follow that the Indians were a true Church although the minister were rightly called yet that does not make them a true Congregation for a true Church is when many believers doe enter into a Covenant to walk together in the fellowship of the Gospel that is a true Church 6. Argument It builds faith upon humane testimony in matters fundamentall so that they have nothing but the bare word of a man for it the frame of the argument is this That practice that builds faith in matters fundamentall upon humane testimony is unlawfull but the baptising of Infants does so and therefore it is unlawfull for he must bring in humane testimony and so the word of men must be in the place of the word of God Because they seem to place much here and the argument is somewhat unwonted therefore give me leave to inlarge Here I will doe two things 1. I will shew you the vanity of the argument 2. I will rip into the bowels of the argument that you may see the feeblenesse of such and how they will melt as dew before the Sun 1. The vanity of the reason and the weaknesse of it appears thus That practice that builds faith upon humane testimony in matters fundamentall no other wayes then God doth allow and the word warrants is not unlawfull but the baptizing of Infants does not build them no otherwise t●●● Gods word dos allow in the like case as in circumcision for that was a scale of the same covenant to them that this is to us it is clear that was a scale of the righ●eousnesse of faith to them and so is this to us and is as fundamentall as baptisme to us a fundamentall of faith those that were circumcised in the law in their infancy as Infants must prove it by their parents it is plain and therefore if any man will charge God with want of wisdome or want of care how shall a childe satisle another but by bare testimony humane every man would condemn this as hellish blasphemy this is enough to dash the argument now we will search into the secrets of the argument and we will doe two things 1. By way of explicition of some passages in the reason 2. We will make application in the first you here of matters fundamentall in that we must know three things First Matters fundamentall touching faith that there is one God in three persons Eather Son and Holy Ghost and Christ the son of the Virgine Mary is the Saviour of the world and that God by his spirit does bring his children to know himself and bring them to his Son and that his Saints are justified by Faith these are fundamentall Secondly there are matters flow from these if God by his spirit make a sinner believe then there is not free-will and that we are justified by the active and passive obed once of Christ and if we have title to the covenant then we have title to the seals 3. Some matters annexed are circumstantiall as receiving the seals in this manner there is a matter of faith and matter of fact faith in matters to be believed or works of mercy matters to be believed or or done are contained to the Scriptures but for matter of fact that is to such a man by name is not contained in the Scriptures Faith comes by hearing and is contained in the scriptures but that such a a man did heare at Hurford the scriptures doe give no testimony that this man by name at this time and place is not contained in the scriptures 3. That a mans faith may be built upon the word and it rest upon the word or that is contained in the word the conclusion must be in the word but the other part in a mans selfe to build our faith on the word is enough if one proposition be in the word and the other hee may finde by experience carry these along with you and you will see the we●knes of the Argument we will shew you the Application in three things 1. Children when they doe survive may receive the benefit of baptisme by faith built upon the word of God and not upon humane reason they may receive the benefit of their faith built upon the word thus instanced whosoever doe or have received baptisme by the appointment of God to them God on his part hath sealed up the covenant to them but children have so received and therefore they have the covenant sealed on Gods part to them and therefore they may have the comfort of it that they have received it on Gods part every man that by Gods order hath the seale God seales to him then children by the order of the Gospel have received the seale of the Covenant so both are true but how doth it appear that a childe hath received it that is not to be required in the scriptures but in practice not in the Gospel nor is required in the cause for it is enough that the proposition or conclusion be in the scriptures that this is true I will give you severall instances Thus it is a truth That all children must honour their father and mother and therefore every childe must honour his Parents but how shall the childe know that this man is his Father or this woman his Mother the common testimony is enough to the childe for to give them obedience of faith although it be not set down in the scriptures that this or that man or woman is his parent and so in Leviticus The Unkle must not marry his Neece for that was a sin for all such marriages is unlawfull but how shall this woman know this was her Unkle The constant report of men is enough in this cause And remember you keep holy the Sabbath day this was the seventh day from the Creation to the Jews and the eighth day to us but how should they know which was the seventh day Abraham living so long after the beginning of the world and it was not written in the word which was the seventh day so that it must be by witnesse and so this is enough for the conclusion is of faith So for the benefit of baptizing of Infants the testimony of them that lived when I was baptized is enough to settle me 2. Men of years

to himselfe although he had no right nor reason so to doe So that if they be left to them selves they would prophane them 2 There will be a confusion on the holy things of God and therefore it is that God hath given them lawes and hath committed these to a community of men and hath left it to them according to the rule of rationall charity to judge whom they will admit and to those they do admit to become subject to those Lawes and Rules and live accordingly so as it is committed to them for that purpose to whom and when they please Thus it was in the time of the Law and thus it is in the times of the Gospel and so it shall be to the comming of Christ 1. Thus it was in the time of the Law they must be in covenant the people of the Jewes were taken in from the world and hee gave them lawes he hath not dealt so with any Nation Psalm 147.20 The treasury of his Lawes were committed to them And Romanes 3.1 all the spirituall priviledges were committed to the Jewes What is the priviledge of the Jewes Much every way c. And Jer. 13.11 For as the girdle cleaves to the loynes of a man so have I ●ied to me the whole House of Israel c. But they would not hear that they might be people to God and then have that honour This is the reason in Nehem. 9.38 he speak thus Now because of all this we make a sure covenant and write it and our Princes and our Levitse and our Priests seale unto it Hence it is that all the choyce priviledges are the Legacies of the Jewes And Exodus 12.43 No stranger shall cat thereof And therefore they must be in the compasse of a visible Church Circumcision is the proper name and livery of Gods people Ephes 2.11 You were Gentiles and called uncircumcision of them that were called Circumcision c. and that were the Jewes and they were the people of God to whom it was left to judge of them that were fit to be made par●akers of these priviledges 2 It is thus also in the time of the Gospel they must be ingaged in the covenant and the Seales and Officers and Ordinances of the Church are their propriety As for the Officers Christ when he asconded he gave gifts unto men and ordained some to be Apostles and some Prophers c. Hee spake of some part for the whole therefore in an ordinary way it must be a visible Church the invisible do not meet to chuse but the officers are by the choyce of such a people in such a particular Church and God does set them in a particular Church and the Officers are to dispense the things of God to that Church and therefore a Minister without a people is as a husband without a wife And therefore all the s●al●s must be dispensed by the Officers of the Church and by none else as appointed by God so to do And therefore the treasury of the Church must be dispensed by faithfull men chosen by the Church Acts 6.3 Chuse you men of honest report and full of the holy Ghost c. If they must be so that must order the treasure of the Church much more the seales which are the speciall treasures of the Church they must be men that have gifts chosen the Sacraments are the seales of the Covenant one with another we are all one bread 1 Corinth 10.17 For we that are many are but one bread And if there be no Officers but in the Church and they that be Officers are to administer onely to the Church they must needs be a company gathered in a Church How a man must be fitted to come into a Church belongs not to me now 3 This must continue till the comming of Christ Rom. 11.17 And though some of the branches be broken off and thou being a wild Olive tree wert grafted in for them and made partaker of the root and fatnesse of the Olive tree Where h● speakes of unchurching of the Jews and Churching of the Gentiles If the branches be cut off and thou art grafted in and made partakers of the fatnesse of this Olive tree So as the Gentiles are made partakers of the fatnesse of the Olive the Olive tree is the Church and the fatnesse of the Olive tree is the priviledges that appertain thereunto so as alwayes they must be ingrafted into the Church before they can have the priviledges belonging thereunto and this shall be to the end of the world When the Jews are converted they shal come into a Church of God this is the first they shall enter into a Church and then the fatnesse followes to the branches in the Olive Secondly they covenant for their children as well as for themselves Deut. 29.10 You stand this day every one of you before the Lord your God your Children your wives c. which shewes they may receive the covenant When he speaks of the covenant in the breadth of it then he takes in their little ones and therefore parents covenant as well for their litle ones they undertake for all that shall be born of them they are in their parents loynes all of them are under their power and they have authority to impose the law of God upon them So in Genes 17. 10 11. Let every man child be circumcised and this shall be a token between me and you of my covenant every male shall be circumcised This is the cause why Joshua when he was to depart the world said to the people Chuse you whom you will serve but I and my house will serve the Lord. Every believer hath power to bring his children into this covenant it was a speciall prerogative to Abraham Mr Spilsbery saith If this be to every believing Parent as to Abraham then every beleever must be the father of the faithfull as Abraham was But I deny the consequence for it will not follow if we looke at Abraham as a pattern of believers hence the priviledges and covenant are entailed upon Abraham to all the nations of the world visibly to be dispensed to all the nations of the world and they shall know and imitate him and God will save them He is the Father of the faithfull by imitation the covenant is made after Gen. 12. he is called and the root is stated upon him Although there was a covenant with Noah and Shem yet it was stated upon Abraham and not upon them so as the consequence fails But if we look to his personall faith he hath power to his children onely But No Spilsbery in the 14th page 13th 14th lines if it be meant to all his children he conceives he had many children by Keturah Genes 25. c. which he conceives was not within the covenant for they were not partakers of the seales This will follow for Keturah was not worse then Hagar for she was a Concubine as well as Keturah yet Abraham did circumcise