Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	church_n	true_a	visible_a	19,269	5	9.3685	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A74656	Expository notes, with practical observations; towards the opening of the five first chapters of the first book of Moses called Genesis. Delivered by way of exposition in several lords-dayes exercises. By Benjamin Needler, minister of the gospel at Margaret Moses Friday-Street, London.	Needler, Benjamin, 1620-1682.	1654 (1654)	Wing N412; Thomason E1443_2; ESTC R209640	117,247	301

was like his sin As the taking of literall Scriptures in a figurative sense was his sin so the taking of a figurative in a literall was his punishment But you may aske me when the Quest litterall sense is to be left When it is repugnant to the analogy of Resp faith or that systeeme of Divinity which is evidently grounded upon the Word of God For instance when it is said Every branch in me that beareth not frait we Joh. 15.2 must not interpret the branches that beare not fruit to be really in Christ as parts of his mysticall body because this is against the Analogy of faith we know that no branch which is truely engraffed into Christ can ever be taken away and therefore we must understand the phrase of such as are in Christ visibl●● as members not of his true body but of his visible Church The Inchanters Rods are related to be turned into Serpents now they must be interpreted to seeme so rather then to be so because the literall interpretation is against the analogy of faith the changing of the natures of creatures being beyond the sphere of the activity of the devils power So when we are commanded to pluck out our right eye and cut off our right hand if they offend us this cannot be expounded literally because it is against the analogy of faith God hath expressely commanded Thou shalt not kill 29. Rule Although the proffer of salvation in the Scripture be conditionall yet is neither the decree of God nor the purchase of Christ relating thereunto conditionall The Lord Jesus did not redeeme us if we did beleeve but that we might beleeve there is a condition in the things proffered but none in the will of God Gods offering salvation upon condition of beleeving doth onely note that faith is a meanes tending thereunto In like manner Gods promises are not for the forme of them to be compared with his purposes or intentions that which is performed upon a condition is not intended upon a condition so to be performed God absolutely intended to make his elect to beleeve and to save them their beliefe is but a condition to their salvation not to Gods intention which is absolute For the further clearing of this consider that the voluntas signi may be conditionall and the voluntas beneplaciti may be absolute and yet there may be a sweet Harmony between them To this purpose observe that a conditionall proposition having such a condition annexed to it as will certainly and infallibly be effected is equivalent to an absolute affirmative categoricall proposition As if a man sayes he will take a journey to morrow if he be able and knowes certainly he shall be able this is eq●ivalent to an absolute affirmative categoricall proposition that he will absolutely go So on the contrary if a proposition be conditionall and hath a condition annexed to it which is impossible and shall never be effected this is equivalent to an absolute categoricall negative proposition when Reprob●tes are told if they beleeve they shall be saved it is equivalent to this proposition they shall not be saved because they shall not beleeve So that the outward tender though conditionall may answer to an absolute decree the render it selfe being equivalently absolute 30. Rule The Scripture sometimes speakes of a thing as absolutely and infallibly coming to passe by vertue of Gods ordination and yet the same thing may be in its owne nature contingent For instance it was prophesied concerning Christ that not a bone of him should be broken now Christs legs were not broken not because in themselves considered they could not be broken but because Gods decree could not be broken they were capable of being broken and ye● not capable capable in respect of themselves incapable in regard of Gods decree When there is a non-essentiall connexion between things we say there is contingency when there is an essentiall connexion there we say there is necessity For instance ●ationality and risibility are necessary to a man because a man cannot be a man but he must have a power both to reason and laugh they do ingredi essentiam but that a man doth exercise his reason or not exercise it that a man doth laugh or not laugh is contingent the power is necessary but the act is contingent Christs legs in respect of themselves were as apt to be broken as the malefactours therefore the not breaking of them was contingent as to the souldiers though coming to passe necessarily as to Gods decree Contingent things are nothing the lesse contingent for some kinde of extrinsecal necessity 31. Rule Negations in Scripture must be read with these cautions 1. Sometimes they deny not simply but onely in comparison I will have mercy Mat. 9.13 and not sacrifice that is I will have mercy rather then sacrifice So When thou makest a dinner or a supper call not thy friends Luk. 14.12 13. nor thy brethren neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbours c. But when thou makest a feast call the poore the maimed the lame the blind Bid not your brethren but the poore that is the poore rather then your brethren 2. Sometimes negatives deny onely according to the conceit and opinion of the hearers So God is not the God of the dead but of the living He is not the God Ma. 22.32 of the dead that is of such dead whom the Sadduces thought dead who should never rise againe for Christ spake this to the Sadduces who denyed the resurrection as appeares by the context So Jesus said Joh. 7.16 My doctrine is not mine but his that sent me Is not mine that is as you take me to be a meere man 32. Rule The truth of an Hypotheticall Proposition doth not depend upon the truth of the two Propositions the Antecedent and the consequent but upon the necessary connexion viz. The Antecedent and consequent of an Hypotheticall Proposition may be true and yet the Proposition may be false it selfe and è contrà the Antecedent and consequent of an Hypotheticall Proposition may be false and yet the Proposition may be true it selfe For instance If Isaac were Abrahams Son then he were truly good both parts considered apart are true yet the Proposition it selfe is false because there is no necessary connexion between the Antecedent and the Consequent If a man be irrational he is a beast both parts are false yet the Proposition true Paul sayes to the Centurion and to the Souldiers Except these abide in the Ship ye cannot be saved both parts are false Act. 27.31 either that the Ship-men should not abide in the Ship or that any man in the Ship should not be saved God having before determined that there should be no losse of any mans life among them so saith Paul I exhort you to be of good chear for there shall be no losse of any mans life among you but of the Ver. 22 Ship yet the connexion is true

Angels hand Our Incense smells of our owne hand and it would stinke worse in Gods nostrils then the Onions and garlick of Egypt if it were not perfumed and presented by the hand of Christ Now faith sets Christ at work as Christ sets his people at work to do him service so faith sets Christ at work to do his people good Quest 9. vers 5. It is said That Cain was worth and his countenanee fell Difficile est animum non prodere vultu It seems therefore that God by some visible signe gave Testimony concerning the acceptation of Abels sacrifice and not Cains or else how came Cain to know it now the question is what this visible signe was It is very probable that it was by fire Resp from heaven burning up the sacrifice and we have severall instances to this purpose And Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle Lev. 9.23 24 of the Congregation and came out and blessed the people c. And there came a fire out from before the Lord and consumed upon the Altar the burnt-offering and the fat which when all the people saw they shouted and fell on their faces So 1 Kin. 18. 38. What reason have we to believe that Object the acceptation of Abels sacrifice was confirmed by a miracle when we have no such thing in the Scripture Although we have it not in expresse Resp termes yet it is cleare by the context that God did manifest his acceptation of Abels sacrifice some extraordinary way which by other instances in Scripture of the same nature we conceive to be fire from heaven And if that be miraculous you see we have reason to look that way But this was a meat-offering now we do not find that meat-offerings were burnt Object with fire That this was a meat-offering is said not Resp 1 proved That suppose it be so we may find in Scripture meat-offerings to be burnt with fire thus you read concerning Gideons offering Judg. 6.19 21. the same we read concerning Manoahs offering Judg. 13. 19 20. Let this caution us against the sinne of envy Cain is sad because Abels sacrifice was accepted there are two sinnes which were Christs sorest enemies covetousness sold Christ and envy delivered him It is a Devillish sinne and cometh from Hell the Devil is called the envious man It is one of the torments of Hell There shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth when Luck 13. 28. ye shall see Abraham Isaac and Iacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdome of Heaven and you your selves shut out Envy opposeth the Providence of God grieving that God should dispose of his blessings as he doth It is a most unjust sinne for it is offended with nothing but that which is good and the more good it is the greater is the envy As the brighter the Sun shineth the more are weak and sore eyes offended Oh how contrary are good Angels and evill men they are ready to cry and burst for anger at that which makes musick in heaven The Angels rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner and they rejoyce when one sinnes who is converted An envious man is more unhappy then other sinners others are troubled for their own evils the envious man for other mens good Quest 10 verse 5. Why is it said The Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering It is not said The Lord had respect unto Abels offering but unto Abel and his offering To teach us that God first had respect to Abel and then to his offering and that the Resp reason why he had respect to Abels offering was because he had respect to Abels person We prize the person because of the gift God prizes the gift because of the person The reason why wicked men are not accepted is because they bring unto God opus personae sed non personam They offer their duties unto the Lord but not themselves Quest. 11. vers 6. Why doth the Lord propound this question unto Cain Why art thou wroth and why is thy Countenance fallen Not for information God knew the Resp reason he needed not an intelligencer but 1. To teach us that when we are moved to passion we should think with our selves again and again why are we angry are we angry upon good grounds upon a righteous account We should endeavour in such a case to commune with our own hearts and indeed we had need to take some pains for selfe will hardly be spoken with To be angry is our duty in some cases If anger were an evil in it selfe considered it could no more be attributed unto God then envy c. But because it is an hard matter to be angry and not sinne it is said Be angry and sinne not and the Apostle Eph. 4. 26. addes Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath viz. Let it not lodge with you nor take up its Inne in your breasts I have read a story of two persons of eminency between whom anger had passed But at evening the one sent the other word the Sun was set upon which they were soone reconciled The Apostle adds Neither give place to the Devil He that keepeth anger in his bosome giveth place to the Devil and why should we make roome for him that will crowd in too fast of himselfe Men think to be a little angry is no such matter but marke the consequence you give place to the Devil have a care of the beginnings of sinne Saith Solomon The beginning of the words of a fooles mouth is Eccl. 10. 13. foolishnesse but the end of his talke is mischievous madnesse They that dwell by the Sea-bankes will not let a small breach lye unrepaired they know it will endanger the losing of much ground if not looked to in time Learn therefore to deale with thy sinne as the Apostle Paul did with false brethren He gave them no place no not for Gal. 2.5 an houre You may aske me what are the causes of an holy Anger I must not enlarge in this therefore in a few words Holy anger arises from our love unto God and our hatred against sin And herein appeared the exceeding sinfulnesse of Cains wrath that whereas he should have been angry with his brothers sin he was angry with his brothers righteousness And that his rage was great appeares by the text for it is said He was very wrath and his countenance fell One glosses upon it thus Ex ira vultus Caini demititur in terram nonne Deus tibi faciem rectam concessit cur pronam et similem bestiis deprimis Non miror Cainum similem animalibus iratus enim erat at iratus expers est omnis rationis It is said Cains countenance fell God gave him a face erect looking up towards heaven but now in his passion he seems to be void of reason and his countenance falls as if he were a beast Let this caution us against passion upon every turne let us enquire why we are