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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	aaron_n	behold_v	lord_n	36	3	3.8084	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96684	God a Christian's choice, compleated by particular covenanting with God Together with an appendix, containing propositions, tending to clear up the lawfulness, and expediency of transacting with God in that way. In pursuit of a design proposed by Mr. R.A. in his book entituled, The vindication of Godliness. And by Mr. Tho. Vincent, in his book, called Words whereby we may be saved. To which is added, a brief discovery of the nearness of such a people unto God, on Psal. 148. 14. By Samuel VVinney, sometimes minister of the gospel at Glaston in Somersetshire.	Winney, Samuel.	1675 (1675)	Wing W3034; ESTC R231145	79,544	241

nigh unto all them that call upon him The like passage in Psal 34.18 The Lord is nigh to them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a Contrite Spirit This then is the first regard wherein Gods People are said to be Near to him viz. God's Nearness unto them 2. In regard of Affection to them he is and is said to be Near to them Lord help us to believe it God's People sometimes can't hardly believe it you know these People whom we by love account dear we account also to be very Near to us Dearness and Nearness are here Convertible Now God's People are the dearly beloved of his Soul Jer. 12.7 in Original but one word I have given the dearly beloved of my Soul Heb. the love into the hands of her enemies And that is one of the titles Christ gives his Church throughout the whole Song of Solomon My Love my Dove c. So near to him the Church desireth to be that Song 8.6 she prays Set me as a Seal on thy heart What is the meaning of that in short love me dearly and love makes as strong an impression on the heart as a Seal doth upon any thing to which it is applyed she desires to be near the heart of Christ and that his Love towards her may have deep impressions there as the names of the twelve Tribes of Israel had on the brest-plate of Judgment which Aaron did bear on his heart when he went in into the Holy-place Exod. 28.21 29. Further she prays there as a Seal upon thine arm for love is as strong as death in which she desires also his Compassion and Affection The Lord expresseth the same thing in a like phrase to his Church saying Behold I have graven thee on the palms of my hands Isa 49.16 I remember the Lord makes use of one expression more to set it forth by the signet on the right hand and that is near in place and affection too Jer. 22.24 where the Lord speaks of Coniah one of the Kings of Judah and saith to this purpose As I live saith the Lord though Coniah the Son of Jehojakim King of Judah were their Signet on my right hand yet would I pluck thee thence c. A Man's Signet that he wears on his right hand what an esteem and love hath he for that yet saith God though he was as the Signet on my right hand would I pluck thee thence Sin will make a separation between a person or people though near to him And that is the second thing God's People are his dearly beloved and so they are near upon the account of Affection 3. In regard of Relation to God they are nearly related to God there is a Spiritual kin and alliance between God and his people you shall find nearness and kin are Convertible in the Scripture Lev. 21.2 But for his kin that is near unto him that is for his Mother and Father and for his Son and for his Daughter and for his Brother and ver 3. and for his Sister That is nigh unto him c. So that Kin and Nearness are joyned together words of the same import Now there is a twofold Relation betwen God and his People which makes the Kin to be so Near. 1. By Regeneration and the new-birth 2. By the Marriage-Covenant and blessed are the people that are in such a Nearness unto God! First by Regeneration and the new-birth that is one way the kin comes in if I may so speak and therefore you shall find throughout the Scripture that they are said to be born of God and born again and hence is it that all that are regenerate are called the Sons and Daughters of the living God and who are nearer to us than our Children these are the Children of God being born of him Joh. 1.12 As many as believed to them gave he power to become the Sons of God How came they to be the Sons of God ver 13. shews which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God So in the Epistle of John throughout are they said to be born of God Now how near is the Father and Son I need not tell you that are Pa●ents So near is the relation between God and his People 2 Cor. 6.18 I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty What a Promise is this he will receive them to be as near unto him as he will receive his own Son that serveth him And what a deal of Nearness of Affection as well as Relation is there in this case Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God 1 Joh. 3.1 You that are parents think on this when you see your Children in the streets or any where about you Oh how are your hearts drawn out after them learn hence to be affected with the nearness both of Relation and Affection that is between God and his People you cannot love your Children though your hearts run out after them as God loves his Children all the affection of all the parents in the World to their Children is but the drops of a bucket in Comparison of God's love to his people and his Children 2. By Marriage-Covenant are they Near to God And this is so near a Relation that all other kin are to be left for this Relation they that are married as to their Relation in the flesh are become one flesh so near they are Mat. 19.5 Just as Adam said of the woman when God brought her to him this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh Gen. 2.23 Beloved Gods people are his married people and they are his espoused people full of this is the Scripture in many places 2 Cor. 11.2 I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you a chast Virgin to Christ Hos 2.19 20. I will betroth thee unto me for ever yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgment and in loving kindness and in mercies I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness c. Jer. 3.14 turn Oh backsliding Children saith the Lord for I am married unto you Isa 54.5 For thy Maker is thine husband the Lord of hosts is his name Oh what an husband is this Every woman is apt to admire her own husband but what an husband is this of Souls Mark how the Apostle doth improve this natural marriage to a Spiritual use 1 Cor. 6.16 17. What know ye not that he that is joyned to an Harlot is one body for he saith ye shall be one flesh ver 17. but he that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit The Apostles design is to take off people from Fornication and the argument is taken from the design of God in Marriage God made Marriage that there might be an union betwixt the Man and the

Now Conversion is a work wrought upon every particular Soul and that Soul and as many Soul's as are converted do in particular turn to God every one for himself resolves to be for him only and none else 2. Another expression of this is by the giving of the hand Rom. 6.13 compared with 2 Chron. 30.8 Now be not stiffnecked as your Fathers were but yield your selves to the Lord * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebrew Give the hand to the Lord as the Margin of some Bibles hath it which hath some resemblance to marriage also forenamed wherein as there is an express Promise by word of mouth so there is at the same time a solemn and publick Giving of the hand each to other And this action hath many times the virtue of a ratification of Promises in our civil Commerce and mutual contracts one with another The Greek Give glory to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LXX like that Jer. 13.16 give Glory to God by repentance and humiliation pressing to the same duty laid down in the first words positively though there negatively be not stiff-necked in both places yield your selves to the Lord in our translation 3. Another expression we shall said Psal 50.5 Gather my Saints which have made a Covenant with me by Sacrifice Hebrew Cut a Covenant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for at holy Covenants the Sacrifices were cut asunder and both the persons went between the parts to shew that there was a mutual stipulation and engagement not one person only was tyed Ainsw but both did thus reciprocally transact one with another and were interchangeably obliged to and assured of the terms therein contained 10. Further this is no more than is already done virtually by us in our Baptism-Covenant and ther 's no person of sound judgment but thinketh himself to be really and fully bound thereby and wo be to every baptized person that lives and dies in the neglect of fulfilling that Covenant And this kind of express transacting between God and our selves by speech or writing is but a doing of the same thing in another way So also in the Sacrament of the Supper wherein every person takes both the Elements the Bread and the Cup into his own hand denoting his receiving Christ to himself in particular and giving up himself to him both receiving and resigning himself up back again is implyed thereby 11. Lastly doth not every Christian do the same thing when he comes to die It is the last work that all men that die in Christ and in the faith do viz. resign themselves up particularly Body and Soul into the hands of God and as the Apostle phraseth it Commit their Souls unto him after all their well-doing as into the hands of a faithful Creator 1 Pet. 4. ult How comfortably freely confidently will they do it then having done it solemnly before hand in their life-time for this we have our blessed Saviour for a patern See Luk. 23.46 Cryed with a loud voice and said Father into thy hands I Commend my Spirit and gave up the Ghost the very same words that David the type of Jesus Christ did use when he was alive in his life-time Psal 31.5 Into thy hands I Commend my Spirit thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth in the doing of this work when he was in great danger of death by the malice and mischief his enemies contrived against him the same did Steven the Protomartyr at his dissolution and violent death Act. 7.59 in effect though not in express words Lord Jesus receive my Spirit And thus much for the lawfulness and warrantableness of it which is the first thing Secondly that it is expedient necessary and advantageous appears very plainly by these things following 1. The person gets true and full assurance that the work is once done indeed so that the matter will no longer hang in doubt or if there be any doubts and objections arise at any time this draught will be a testimony of it which God will never disown it being done in sincerity of heart or if not this way yet if there hath been a transacting by word of mouth wherein an interest in God hath been humbly and heartily accepted and embraced and serious giving up our selves to God totally and for ever I say if it hath been done in this manner the Soul will have some ground of evidence and some plea with God when in the midst of detections and temptations This puts me in mind of one poor Soul that was in a mixture of Soul and bodily distraction together who though then as not otherwise in many things and cases sensible yet being set to prayer by some persons that visited her whereof some were Ministers and I my self was one she made use of this passage in these words or to this effect Lord Expressing here her came thou knowest me poor by name and thou knowest that in such a place naming it both House and Room I had Communion with thee and thou didst give me assurance of interest in thee and being thine And soon after through her bodily distraction taken off from the duty and diverted So that this is one beneficial advantage that comes by it that the work is surely and irrevocably done and so shall be able with humble boldness to plead with God for our acceptance with him in any Soul-distresses we are or may come into and being once thus in good earnest done shall never be undone for that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance Rom. 11.33 and though we are a people that shall while we are in the World through infirmity break Covenant yet it is God's Covenant-promise to forgive our iniquities and remember our sins no more Jer. 31.3.4 And it is not every infirmity that shall utterly disannul this Covenant and break off this marriage-Covenant and dissolve this marriage-knot see Jer. 3. throughout If we heartily and mournfully return to him as ver 22 c. For God is a God that keeps Covenant and mercy to a thousand Generations to them that love him and make it their whole bent and endeavour to keep all his Commandments Deut. 7.9 hence did David fetch Comfort in his personal and domestical troubles 2 Sam. 23.5 Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made with me an Everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my Salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow 2. This will be a most strongty and bond to keep our hearts close unto God in dependence and Obedience The best are used to find their hearts hang loose and to stand at a distance through the remainders of unbelief that makes their hearts depart from the living God Heb. 3.12 Now what a spur and goad will the Consideration of this be to us that we are in Covenant and have solemnly listed up our hands to God and yielded our selves to him How will this

How often do men do this also on their sick-beds their resolution is very earnest and strong and how often doth it issue forth into express promise how apt are men to purpose and promise both when death and judgment look them in the face that they will become the Lords are grieved that sin hath swayd them so much and that they have served it so long and if it ever please the Lord to spare them recover them and continue them longer in the world they will be only for the Lord and for no other that they will drudg for the World fulfil the lusts of the flesh no longer nor ever any more as they have done make provision for it to fulfil them These things are not only determined in mens breasts but uttered by their tongues and with their mouths too at such a time and is not this the same thing the lawfulness of which we hereby labour to justify and establish 5. Nay further yet we find this occasionally done by Gods Saints upon some extraordinary deliverance out of eminent and particular troubles See this clear in the Prophet David's practice Psal 116.16 O Lord truly I am thy Servant I am thy Servant and the Son of thine hand-maid thou hast loosed my bonds The Psalm was penned as most and most rationally too agree upon the same occasion as Psal 18. as may be seen by comparing several verses of that and this together Now upon occasion of this deliverance which was from the hand of all his enemies from the hand of Saul Ps 18. Title the Prophet breaks out into express acknowledgment of his obligation to God and of his own resignation of himself to him accordingly Now all these things being considered and seriously laid together may we not reasonably conclude that a person upon deliberate and weighty consideration may take any such form of words as are drawn up by either of these serious Divines Mr. G. or Mr. A. or any other or any that they may draw up themselves from their own experience according to the Scripture and having done the preparatory duties there directed to fall down before God and solemnly undertake the engagement there proposed and a verbal profession of his acceptation of God his Son and Covenant according to the tenour of that form there drawn up and expressed Object 2. But saith a worthy Divine God never makes a Covenant with a single person personally Mr. Wills's morning Excercise on Rom. 5.12 and individually that all others are unconcerned in it but with whomsoever God enters into Covenant that person is a representative of others and is to be looked upon as a publick person otherwise God should make as many Covenants as there are persons which is the greatest absurdity to assert c. Answ 1. This is true if it be supposed that God makes different Covenants as to the matter of them as the Covenants of Works and Grace were and this is the very ground upon which this passage was uttered and that which it doth purposely drive at it being spoken about the Covenant with Adam and all mankind in him and with Jesus Christ and the elect of God in him For as Adam in the first Covenant of Works stood as the representative of all mankind that should descend from him by ordinary Generation so Christ in the second Covenant of Grace did stand as a publick undertaker in the behalf of all those whom God had appointed to Salvation Answ 2. But this doth not hinder but that God may enter into Covenant with many persons particularly and individually that Covenant being the same with all every one of them not only with the person of the representative himself but also with every particular person of that Collective body included in him that is to say every particular person of that numerous multitude obliged to God upon the termes of one an the same Covenant in that common or publick person may sue out claim and appropriate or apply to themselves in due time the benefits thereof and also may particularly transact with God in an holy giving up themselves to him for the performance through the strength of his own grace of that duty to which they are bound in the participation of those priviledges So God did with all and every particular of mankind under the Covenant with Adam And so with every particular elect person in the Covenant of Grace through Jesus Christ these two do not interfere nor clash one with or against another viz God taking such a number though never so numerous or many into Covenant in the representative and yet entring into Covenant particularly and with every one of them apart and in their own persons insomuch that every one of them may be concerned to lay hold on it as being bound in the same terms with the representative Object 3. But doth not this seem too much to savour of separation and look too much like that dividing practice of some in the Church who many of them otherwise good men as it is to be hoped do yet gather themselves out of and separate themselves from the Communion of the visible Church and enter into an express and explicite Covenant one with another how may these two be said to differ one from another A. For the solution of this Objection several things are to be considered 1. It will tend much to the clearing of the case to unfold in brief the nature of that express Covenant of these persons mentioned for by discerning what this is we shall be the better able to discern the difference between it and that we are now discoursing of For the nature of that Covenant as far as by reading yet I do understand it is this A Combination or joyning together of several Christians by mutual Consent and open and express Covenanting to use their own very words to walk together with such a body of Saints in a participation of all the Ordinances of Jesus Christ 2. But to this we may say as God of the Jews services who hath required this at their hands to make such a Covenant as this is we cannot find any such thing in all the whole Word of God either Commanded by Christ or practised by any former primitive Church It is true the Scriptures mention a general implicite Covenant of the Gospel as some Divines call it in opposition to that of those Brethren fore-spoken of or Covenant of Christianity which all professing Christians entred into by their admission unto the Sacrament of Baptism live in the profession of and hold to whereby they are bound to acknowledg God as their only Lord and Jesus Christ as their only Head Husband and Commander that they will conform to all his Laws and Ordinances appointed in his Word but of peoples openly Covenanting so to do with one another and only in this or that Society as it were apart from all the rest of the particular Congregations of the Catholick