Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	covenant_n	sacrament_n	seal_n	4,627	5	9.5821	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05533	The reasons of a pastors resolution, touching the reuerend receiuing of the holy communion: written by Dauid Lindesay, D. of Diuinitie, in the Vniuersitie of Saint Andrewes in Scotland, and preacher of the gospell at Dundy	Lindsay, David, d. 1641?	1619 (1619)	STC 15656; ESTC S103094	57,265	200

beleeue The Couenant thus begunne in secret betwixt God and man is solemnized by the Sacraments in the which action man maketh a publike profession of his faith in God in comming to receiue and in receiuing the signe and badge of his Faith and Religion towards God and the Instrument and Seale of his iustification saluation from God and after this manner mans part is acted in the outward and solemne binding vp of the Couenant As on the other side God acteth his part by receiuing man in his fauour and grace admitting him to the communion of Saints in the Sacrament of Baptisme and by disponing and giuing to him the Bodie and the Bloud of his Son Iesus Christ and the new Testament confirmed thereby in the Sacrament of the Supper to assure him that his fauour and loue shall constantly remaine with him for euer SECT 7. That greater and more particular reuerence must be vsed in receiuing the Sacrament then in hearing the Word HEreby it is euident that although the preaching of the Word be a work of greater moment and charge oneris operae maioris and more excellent in regard of the gifts required in the Pastor and more necessarie to saluation then the administration of the Sacraments yet certaine it is that to be admitted and receiued to the Sacraments is a greater dignitie prerogatiue then to bee admitted to the hearing of the Word and to receiue the Sacraments then to heare the Word For in receiuing the Sacraments and in speciall this of the Bodie and Bloud of our Sauiour Christ draweth neerer to vs and communicateth himselfe with vs more particularly familiarly and entirely then in preaching of the Word which is common to all In the preaching of the Word God dealeth coniunctly generally and in common with all at once but in the Sacraments although the action bee publike and common to all the Receiuers yet therein God dealeth not coniunctly with all at once but seuerally and particularly with euery one alone and by himselfe And therefore in this action the common and generall reuerence and worship done to GOD in the publike prayer and thankesgiuing for the common benefit to bee receiued wherewith the action beginneth and for the common benefit that wee haue receiued when the action is ended this common and publike worship I say wherewith the action beginneth and endeth is not sufficient But as the common benefit is seuerally and particularly giuen to euery one so should euery one at the receiuing thereof doe reuerence and worship in particular for himselfe to God and his Sauiour from whose hand immediately hee receiueth the benefit For as the Sacramentall Word This is my Bodie this is my Bloud is generally and in common pronounced at the Consecration in the audience of all that are to receiue And yet at the receiuing euery one must esteeme that as the Bread and the Cup is in particular deliuered to him and receiued by him so the Word to bee spoken particularly to him This is my Bodie which is broken for thee this Cup is the new Testament in my Bloud that is shed for the remission of thy sinnes Euen so should euery one apply and tender vnto Iesus Christ in particular for himselfe the substance of the generall prayer and thankesgiuing that went before that is hee should when hee receiueth wish that by the death of his Sauiour whereof hee is made partaker himselfe may bee saued and that in his saluation his Sauiour may bee glorified These should be and are the thoughts and exercises of the minde of euery one that receiueth worthily for the thoughts of the worthy Receiuers should be and are such as the Sacramentall Word and Precept requireth The Sacramentall Word This is my Body that is broken for you this Cup is the new Testament in my Bloud that is shed for the remission of the sinnes of many requireth that euery receiuer at the instant when hee receiueth do actually beleeue that vnto him in particular Christ offereth himselfe and the new Testament confirmed by his Bloud containing the right of eternal saluation and that with his whole heart hee embrace him and rest on him hoping for that saluation and earnestly desiring to haue the full fruition and possession thereof Now this desire proceeding from this faith and hope is in effect a particular application to our selues of the generall prayer which went before wherein all desired to bee partakers of Christ himselfe and by him of life eternall Next the Precept Doe this in remembrance of mee requireth a present actuall remembrance of the death of Christ which remembrance at that time must either bee actually thankefull for the benefit which hee hath receiued in Christ or it is actually profane and diabolicall And this thankefull remembrance or this remembrance actually thankeful is a particular application of that generall Thankesgiuing that went before to God for our own Redemption Now to draw all the thoughts and exercises of the minde together that are required by the Sacramentall Word and Precept to bee in the Receiuer at the instant of receiuing are briefly and in substance these I call to minde with thankefulnesse O Lord thy Bodie that was broken and thy Bloud that was shed here represented and applyed to me and therein my soule trusteth and waiteth for thy saluation wherewith possesse mee I beseech thee Amen No tongue can vtter so briefly as these thoughts goe swiftly thorow the minde of the worthy Receiuer Eusebius in the sixt booke of the Ecclesiasticall Storie recordeth that Nouatus when he deliuered the Sacrament to his people did apprehend their hands compelled them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in stead of blessing to sweare by that which was in their hands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to say in stead of Amen Wee shall not returne to Cornelius againe By the which words it is euident that they did not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pray and giue thankes before and after the receiuing but in the very Act it selfe while the bread was in their hands they blessed it and said Amen Now with what gesture and reuerence I pray you should these thoughts and meditations of our heart be accompanied at the instant when Christ is professedly giuing and wee receiuing from his hand Thinke yee that sufficient which is vsed when men attend to heare his Will declared in his Word If a King should generally declare to a multitude what benefit hee were to bestow vpon them and thereafter should call them man by man and with his hand deliuer it should the carriage of euery man comming seuerally to receiue bee no other then that which was vsed of all when they harkened to his speech SECT 8. That the name of a Supper giuen to this Sacrament doth not diminish the reuerence that is due thereto ANd here let it bee considered whether this should exempt vs from bowing the Knee because this gift is called a Supper which should not bee receiued with Kneeling

was symbolically represented in the giuing taking and eating of the elements is expounded in the other parcell Broken for you shed for the remission of the sinnes of many This explication and declaration of the Mysterie by the Word is a reall and spirituall application of the sacrifice of Christ and the benefit thereof to the minde and vnderstanding of the Receiuer to bee considered and pondered in the ballance of a wise and spirituall iudgement This is the first thing that is done by the word next by this word the last Will and Testament of Christ is declared wherein he maketh a reall donation and disposition of himselfe and of all his graces and gifts to the worthy receiuers The Bread which wee breake is it not saith the Apostle the communion of the Bodie of Christ And the Cup which we blesse is it not the communion of the Bloud of Christ How is this Bread and this Cup the communion of his Bodie and of his Bloud How But by the Sacramentall word wherein he declareth that the Bread and the Cup are the instruments of the communication and disposition of his Bodie and Bloud and the seales whereby he confirmeth the same This declaration conuaied with the inward grace and operation of the Spirit is a reall application of the sacrifice of Christ and the eternall Testament confirmed thereby to the heart and the will of the Receiuer that witl heart will and affection hee may trust and reioyce therein Thus th● application is acted really and spir●tually on the part of Christ and 〈◊〉 the part of the receiuer it is acted likewise when he considereth and pondereth in his mind as he should the death of Christ and the benefit thereof declared by the Word and next when he resteth and reposeth thereon with a full confidence of saluation according to the will of Christ declared and testified by the same VVord This is the spirituall application and reall receiuing of the Lord Iesus with all his benefites So many as receiued him saith Iohn he gaue them this prerogatiue that they should be called the sonnes of God But who are they that receiued him All those saith hee that beleeued in his Name Then to receiue him is to beleeue in his name In this beliefe and faith standeth our participation of the Lords Table and the eating and drinking at his Supper whereby we haue communion with him and amongst our selues And all this is effectuall by this Sacramental Word This is my Body this is my Bloud because both it is verbum expositiuum mysterii and Dispositiuum Testamenti the word that expoundeth the mysterie to the vnderstanding and is the dispositiue word of the Testament or the Word that declareth and testifieth the Legacie and Letter-will of Christ giuing and deliuering himselfe to the hand of our faith SECT 6. The difference betweene the Sacramentall Word and the Word preached AND heere by the way it shall not be vnprofitable to consider the difference betwixt this Sacramentall Word and the Word preached The Word preached is onely Promissorium and Conditionatum that is promissorie and conditionall because in it life eternall is promised vpon condition that wee repent and beleeue in Iesus Christ and it is true that by the Word preached wee are taught and perswaded to beleeue and to present our selues to the Sacraments Then the Sacramentall Word annexed to the Symbolicall Mysteries declareth that Iesus Christ hath made and by the present action of the Sacrament maketh an actuall and reall disposition and donation of the benefits promised in the Word preached because the condition therein required is performed in vs by the true perswasion and profession of faith So in the Word preached the promise is made vpon condition of faith But in the Sacramentall Word because the condition is presumed to bee fulfilled a simple donation and disposition is made of the things promised And herein consisteth the dignitie of the Sacraments First that they are onely ministred to the Beleeuers and the Beleeuers are onely admitted to them But the VVord is preached to all and all are admitted to the hearing thereof Secondly in the Word a promise is onely made of righteousnesse and life but in the Sacrament a reall donation and disposition is made of the things promised Thirdly in the Word the promise is onely made in generall but in the Sacraments the thing promised is applyed in particular Fourthly in the Word the promise is conditionall if wee beleeue and perseuer in faith but in the Sacraments the donation is simple because it presupposeth faith and perseuerance Fifthly in the Sacraments there is an externall solemne binding vp of a couenant betwixt God and the faithfull But by the Word preached and the hearing thereof the people are onely perswaded either to enter in this Couenant by beleeuing or continue therein if they beleeue alreadie It is true that by the power of the Word preached faith is wrought in the hearts of the hearers whereby they enter in a hid and secret Couenant with God and God with them They with God by beleeuing in him and hee with them by imputation of faith to them for righteousnesse This I call an hid and secret Couenant because it is onely knowne to God and to their owne hearts To God it is knowne for hee sees and searches the heart and the reines and knoweth them that trust in him To them it is knowne by the testimonie of the Spirit of God testifying with their spirit that they are receiued in his fauour and that their faith is imputed to them for righteousnesse for the Spirit of God testifies in the Word that the Beleeuers are iustified and our spirit and conscience testifieth that we beleeue and consequently that wee are iustified Moreouer the same beliefe and faith which our spirit testifieth to be in vs being the worke and effect of Gods Spirit in vs is a realt estimonie giuen by the Spirit of God of our Iustification The Spirit then of God both in generall in the Word and by his owne particular worke in vs testifieth that wee are receiued in Gods fauour and our spirit priuy to this Testimonie concurreth and testifieth with the Spirit of God So this Couenant is secret and hid because it is not knowne to men yet it hath three most famous and faithfull Witnesses God his Spirit and our conscience But to returne in binding vp of this secret Couenant neither is Gods part acted by preaching of the Word nor our part by hearing for by the Preaching he onely promises to receiue vs in grace if wee beleeue and to continue his fauour with vs if wee perseuer in faith and hearing on our part is not the condition that is craued and must bee performed of vs but faith which we must declare when we solemnely enter in Couenant with him not by a simple applying of our eare to heare but by an open and publicke testification both in word and work that wee haue heard and