Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	circumcision_n	covenant_n	seal_n	7,337	5	9.8059	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63011	The Almighty his gracious token of love to his friend Abraham, or, A sermon preached in the Cathedral Church of Bristol, January 3, 1674 by Rich. Towgood ...	Towgood, Richard, 1595?-1683.	1676 (1676)	Wing T1975; ESTC R10564	17,548	33

and so live as persons that are dedicated and consecrated can never reckon themselves spiritually circumcised for the Apostle saith We are the circumcision that serve God in the spirit that is in purity of life Phil. 3.3 He that is spiritually circumcised and so devoted unto God must yield no part of himself either of Body and Soul to any other service then to the service of God site vovoris Deo imitandus est tibi vitulus quem non licet humanis operibus deseruire Origen Hom. 14. in Num. A Bullock that is consecrated unto God it is not lawful to put it to any humane service and therein saith he must we be like him if we have consecrated our selves to God But ah alas how many be there that so live as if they had bound themselves by Indenture unto Satan as if they had made themselves by vow his Slaves counting it there honour to be prophane and their greatest glory to stand at desiance with holiness Is it not a great abuse for a consecrated Temple to be turned into a Stable or into a Sty to hold Swine in But how much greater is the abuse for the Body and Soul of a Christian consecrated unto God to become Satans work-house for in such Children of disobedience he worketh Ephes 2.2 The sum of all is then Mortifie your members that are upon the Earth if thy right hand offend thee cut it off cleanse your selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit for in this consists the spiritual circumcision which neither is nor ever will be abrogated namely in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh Col. 2.11 Ye see what this token of Gods love to Abraham was both for the letter and the mystery In the letter it was in the cutting off the foreskin of the flesh In the mystery it was a sign of the Covenant between God and Abraham and withal did warn and admonish him to cut off all vile and carnal affections This is the first thing observable in the Text. I shall first be briefer in the other parts that are behind Come we then to the second thing observed of what worth this token of love was and that is imployed in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he gave Saint Steven doth not say he inflicted it as a punishment or imposed it as a burthen he gave it as a token of love out of his special faviour Gods Ordinances are special blessings of singular worth The Almighty God promised to this man Abraham the whole Land of Canaan Gen. 13 14 15. a bountiful gift and yet this gift here spoken of the Covenant of Circumcision was of more worth then the whole Land of Canaan or all the Kingdoms of the world It was a painful service but of inestimable worth it was a seal of the righteousness of faith Rom. 4.11 and so consequently it was a seal to assure him of the Kingdom of Heaven All Gods ordinances are precious gifts and that may appear first by the time which the Doner chose for the bestowing of them When a man is parting from his friends he will leave behind him some special token of love and so the Apostle saith when Christ Jesus ascended up on high he led Cativity Captive and gave gifts to men Eph. 4.8 and yet I confess the Apostle doth not allude so much to the parting of one friend from another as to the custome of conquerors who after their victories go up into their Cities in triumph carrying their captives bound and then withal giving rich gifts to their friends so Christ having conquered hell and death and sin and the Devil led them captive and gave gifts unto men but as to our purpose the question is what those gifts were and the Apostle tell us ibid. ver 11. he gave some Apostles some Prophets c. these are the chief gifts that Christ Jesus thought good to give to his people though the world doth not esteem them so even at the time of his triumph when he was ascending into his greatest glory as if he had no greater gifts to bestow upon them and what is it for which they are reckoned by the Lord such singular gifts but only because they are his messengers and the dispencers of his holy word and sacred ordinance These are gifts of high esteem and that doth thus appear by the time when they were given and that was at his ascension For as the coming of the Holy Ghost was a fruit of Christs ascention so also is the fitting of his messengers and the committing unto them the dispensation of his sacred ordinances the fruit of the same ascension Secondly the singular worth and excellency of Gods sacred ordinances doth appear in that they to whom they are vouchsafed are dignified by them What nation is there so great saith Moses to the Israclites that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law which I set before you Deut. 4.8 and it is worth your noteing that whereas the land of Canaan was so highly dignified and commended Dan 8.9 the pleasant land the glory of all lands Ezek. 20.6 the land of desire Zech. 7.14 It was not for that there was such plenty of silver and gold there for there was none at all Deut. 8.7 8 9. Solomon sent to Ophir for Gold 1 King 9.28 and so did Jehosaphat 1 King 22.48 but it was chiefly because the ordinances of God were there setled In respect hereof it is said that there the glory of God is seen in the sanctuary Psal 63.2 that is at the Temple in Jerusalem and his statutes and ordinances he gave unto that people which was a mercy that he shewed not to any other nation Psal 147.19 20. Thirdly the worth and excellency of Gods ordinances do appear in the end and effect of them for to this end they are given and this is the effect of them to beget grace in us and to bring us to Christ such is the excellency of the word of grace that is of the Gospel that it is able to build us up and to give us an inheritance among them that are sanctified Act. 20.32 It is able to make us wise unto Salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 and this wisdom cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir gold and christal cannot equal it Job 28.16 17. It was the mystery of the Heathens that they were without Christ Ephes 2.12 and it is the most blessed and admirable use of the Sacraments to make us partakers of Christ For as many of us as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ Gal. 3.27 And the bread which we break that is the other Sacrament is it not the communion of the body of Christ 1 Cor. 10.16 such is the worth thereof it makes us partakers of Christ All Gods ordinances are of estimable worth and excellency and how comes it then to pass that these shored ordinances are by so many slighted and neglected The word by some the sacraments