Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	abraham_n	covenant_n	seal_n	6,171	5	9.8580	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90686	A scripture-rale to the Lords Table; or, Observations upon M. Humphreys his treatise, intituled, An humble vindication of free admission to the Lords Supper. Tending to discover the loose and prophane principles therein suggested. Published for the undeceiving the weak, and removing offences occasioned by it in the practice of reformation. Being the result of the discourses of some preachers in the county of Gloucester near Stow on the Wold, at their weekly meetings. / Digested by Anthony Palmer pastor of the Church of Christ at Bourton on the Water.	Palmer, Anthony, 1618?-1679.	1654 (1654)	Wing P218; Thomason E1496_2; ESTC R208631	72,178	194

apostatize that were received into the Church as bought by Christ which is meant by their denying the Lord that bought them must they be continued and admitted to the Lords Supper then this is the argument Such as bring in damnable heresies and deny Christ may and ought to be admitted to the Lords Supper It seems Turcism and Christianity may well enough mix with Mr Humfreys his good leave We had thought at least Hereticks were to be rejected by 1 Titus 3.10 His next Scripture is Heb. 10.29 compared with 2.9 2 Cor. 5.14 There are some that are sanctified with the blood they trample upon c. Answ From hence he would argue Tramplers on the blood of Christ may come How tender is Mr H. of his Saviours blood But saith he they are said to be sanctified though tramplers Answ That is they were externally sanctified or set apart in Baptism but now by their Apostasie and falling off from Christianity they did slight and scorn the blood of Christ as a common thing not worthy to be owned Now what 's this to his purpose 'T is said they had forsaken the Assemblies of the Church v. 25. therefore they did not come to the Lords Supper but were indeed such as had sinned against the holy Ghost But yet tender Mr Humfrey is pleased to stile these branches of Christ though ungodly Professors It seems with him ungodly Professors renouncers of the faith tramplers upon the blood of Christ Apostates damnable Heretiques must be in a visible esteem branches of Christ and so admitted to all Church-Priviledges even the choicest the Seal of Christs Supper for Mr H. puts up an absolute plea for them What can a man more strongly plead for the kingdom of the devil then this We beleeve his prophane party will be here ashamed of him Yet the confidence of the man is such that he cries Victory to himself and followers upon this most absurd and abominable arguing and abusing the holy Word of God Observe Reader he puts the stresse of his cause mainly upon it If thou art so blinde senslesse and mad to beleeve him he tels thee the matter is ended on his side And further That an outward historical faith gives an outward Church right to the elements Answ We deny it if it appear to be but an historical faith by an ungodly life The fourth Objection he undertakes to answer is The Seal is set to a blank if all be admitted He Answers first by opening how the Sacramentis a Seal Not of our faith but of the Covenant on Gods part Now saith he the Covenant and Seal remain firm and all the unbelief in the world cannot make it of no effect Answ 1. The Scripture saith that Circumcision to Abraham was the Seal of the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 4.11 2. If it be the Seal of the Covenant on Gods part as of one party being agreed yet if a soul do not accept of and agree to the terms of it it is but as a blank to him there being not a mutual astipulation and agreement on both parts and so such a soul hath no good by it If by this he would encourage a poor trembling soul who doubts of his faith he may make use of it 't is not of such we here dispute of But he puts the Objection forward viz. Were it not absurd for a man to set his Seal where there hath been no agreement and transactions before so do unregenerate men who come to the Sacrament without that solemn giving up the soul to God as he ought who enters into Covenant with him To this he Answers That there are too many come absurdly and wickedly c. Now saith he Though the receiver fail on his part in his solemn mutual engagement whereof he is to repent yet as for the Minister and Church there is a true seal to a true Copy c. Answ Now we reply to him There is a true Seal to a true Copy but not to be delivered to rebels unlesse they come professing humbly to accept the terms of it Here is the thing we stick at we require and so we verily beleeve doth the Lord that the Receiver ought solemnly to professe and give up himself to God and enter into Covenant with him before he be admitted by them to the Seal of it if the person do not this in sincerity let him look to that but that he do it is the Churches part to require of him without which we beleeve he cannot fully acquit the Church as he undertake to do p. 47. And without this instead of nothing being out of order as he speaks there is hardly any thing in order Now if the receiver do this the Minister and Church receive him in the judgement of Love as a regenerate person and so they do not sin in offering the Sacrament as a Seal on Gods part But saith he The Sacrament seals generally the truth of the Covenant freely to all engaging them unto it and the interest and benefits of it to every single person upon the terms conditions tenour of the Gospel Answ With this notion which he saith hath layn as an Embryon a long time he professeth himself and another piercing Godly man to be converted with it We shall not judge them in this their conversion but take boldness from the deceit we have learned in our own hearts That 't is no hard matter to get distinctions to pacifie the conscience in a troublesom work as the practise of Reformation is We answer the blood of Christ seals the Covenant of God but when t is offered in the sign of it the Sacrament it is to such persons who accept of the Covenant upon the terms and conditions of it as himself speaks and of the blood of Christ thereby signified and it seals to none but to them who have communion with the blood of Christ 1 Cor. 10.16 therefore it doth not generally seal to all The Sacrament is not said to seal the Covenant to all t is the Seal of the Covenant but it seals it to none but to the Believer who is to engage unto it first Sincerely as to his own interest in it Secondly Professedly and explicitly as to the Churches satisfaction To seal any thing to a person implies a reciprocall agreement We humbly take leave to say that as he professeth his greatest satisfaction in this argument his greatest mistake lies in it in confounding of things that ought to be distinguished We say the tender of the Covenant is first in the preaching of the Gospel upon which beleevers professe to own and accept of and enter into it not by a meer tacit coming which having done before the Lord and the Church then as the Sacrament shall be administred the Seal is annexed to it and a beleever receives the blood of Christ Jesus as a Seal of Gods promises in the remission of his sins and so to every covenanting person professing to do so the Covenant is

offered and sealed to him and to none other Now in stead of this we conceive through the whole Treatise Mr H. would have a Sacrament which being the Seal of the Covenant is to be tendered to all be they what they will without any previous act of the Receivers either confession profession or covenanting with or before the Church which was never the way of the Gospel in admission of Church-members and so it holds the same in the use of the Supper when though baptized they have never given any account of themselves or are profane in their lives Further he urgeth his subtile Syllogism to analyse the whole argument The Covenant saith he means thus He that beleeveth shall be saved adde I beleeve ergo I shall be saved Now saith he the Sacrament seals to the major not to the minor to Gods own Word not to ours Answ First The major or first proposition is rather a conditionall promise of the Covenant then the Covenant it self and so the Sacrament seals conditionally But without these quirks If the Sacrament seal to every Beleever then if I adde But I am a Beleever then it seals to me and though the Scripture do not speak of any particular man who is a Beleever yet in such a Syllogism it it speaks as fully and even as satisfyingly to a poor soul as if it did Sir the Sacrament seals the truth of mercy and grace and life to poor souls that come rightly to it and not to abstracted propositions and notions with which you puzzle weak people Again stick to the proposition as really applyed the Sacrament seals to this He that beleeveth shall be saved and the Sacrament confirms it to him then let none but such as shall be charitably judged Beleevers professing faith and obedience be admitted to it Obj. 5. The fifth Objection he undertakes to Answer Pag. 49. viz. The Covenant belongs not to all therefore the seals neither To this he Answers by distinguishing of the Covenant sometimes taken for the absolute promises c. sometimes for the tenour of the Gospel in Gods revealed will and so it runs on these terms Whosoever beleeves shall be saved and whether this belongs to all t is no question Answ T is true salvation belongs to all in the tender of it as himself saith in the next page The conditional Covenant is tendred in the word and sealed to in the Sacrament Now as the Covenant is tendred in the Word if souls professe to accept of the tender of it and to Covenant with him then 't is seald in the Sacrament The Sacrament is a Seal between God and the Beleever and supposeth beleeving intended to Seal mercy to professing covenanting Beleevers and upon that score the Church doth administer it receiving them as such Next he declareth his own practise That he shews his hearers the conditions of the Covenant such that accept of them there the Seal of God is ready let them put to their hands and seals c. This the import But Sir Is it not more proper orderly and satisfying that such persons upon the tender of the Covenant should declare and professe to own and enter into the Covenant of God Must all be done in a huddle the same hour and the people be as mutes in this great concernment Would it not be for the honour of Jesus Christ that people with their own mouths confesse him according to the measure God hath given them more for the satisfaction of the Minister and Church yea and for the comfort of the Professour then thus hand over head to deal in this weighty matter Specially since this was never had from the people of England as we have before opened who are so setled in a corrupt formall customary way in the use of this Ordinance for the most part That talk you of Covenant and Seal and what you will They must have the Communion though to the great prejudice of their souls And 't is from these sad corruptions by the iniquity of former and present times As the London Ministers declare in their Plea for Church-Government That such a Profession and triall is first to be had of every person seeing the abuse of this Ordinance was formerly and horribly prophane In the close saith he This Sacrament doth more properly belong to him who is not yet in Covenant with God supposing now he resolves to enter into Covenant with him This is a strange doctrine and we verily beleeve never started before Here is still the same confusion But Sir In this Ordinance doth not the Church for here we deal with it upon this account which is the Churches and Ministers duty in this Ordinance suppose every receiver in Covenant before first as tendred into it in Baptism and secondly as requiring a personall owning and professing of the Covenant and the conditions of it which was ever the practice of the Primitive Churches as hath been urged and so administer the Lords Supper to them 2. How doth he here confound the order and even make void the care of the Church in this matter Concerning the tender and offer of it we have already spoken We assert there ought to be a previous profession of acceptation of the tender and offer by every soul before the seal is administred to him or else all order and purity will be destroyed And therefore we conclude this that the Covenant belongs not to all so as to have it sealed unto them unlesse they first visibly professe to own it and accept of it before the Church The former neglect of which causeth now a requiring of it of every person or else godly men see not how Reformation will be attained to But he produceth a Reply to his former answer viz. What right doth this give him to the Covenant He answers with the main scope of every Argument he produceth As the Sacrament is a shewing forth of Christ with a tender of the Covenant in his bloud there is an open free generall right to it for all that will come into Christ We answer The Sacrament is a shewing forth of Christ with a tender c. But to whom To professing beleevers that have been orderly received into the Church upon the Gospel preached to them And for such as professe before to come into Christ and subject to discipline and whose conversations do not deny it at least professing serious repentance for the sins they have lived in which he grants to be the duty of every receiver as to his own conscience in his former answer p. 50. But this we assert to be needfull to be professed as to the satisfaction of the Church Due respect and tendernesse being had to the modesty of any and to particulars But he further distinguisheth of a right of coming There 's a right of obligation and a right of priviledge for the right of obligation in the Ministers offer of Christ freely and the Peoples receiving him on his own terms I do avouch an