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
A13528	The beavvties of Beth-el Containing: sundry reasons why euery Christian ought to account one day in the courtes of God, better then a thousand besides. Preached in Cambridge, and now published especially for the benefite of those that were the hearers.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.	1609 (1609)	STC 23820; ESTC S107524	54,350	140

tender mother accounts it not enough to bring forth her child except shee also nursse and cherish it vp vnto mans estate So hath the Lord in these sacraments to shew the aboundant sweetnesse of his loue in Christ after hee hath in the word preached made the couenant of grace knowne vnto men hee also doth most surely seale it vp vnto their soules by those seales of the righteousnesse of faith The former sealing vp their vnion ingrafting and fellowship with Christ from whom as from a roote they draw and sucke the moysture of grace without which they are but dead and withered branches The latter assuring their continuall grouth and encrease in him till they become tall trees of righteousnesse and both of them further helping both our vnderstandings as glasses by which we see clearer into the mistery of our redemption as also our memories as monuments before our eyes with which sence of learning our God would haue vs taught as well as by the other of hearing as in the third place both of them not onely spurring vp euery beleeuer to the performing of the couenant but also strengthening him to euery good duty whereby hee may magnifie this grace of God Thirdly for prayer how vnspeakable is the glory of GOD rendred by the Church gathered together and how wonderfull are the blessings which are vouchsafed the Church from God in and by meanes of this holy dutie especially when they are assembled in the house of prayer In the former regarde is it sayd by the Prophet Praise waiteth for thee in Sion For what greater honour can befall the Lord then first in petition to bee acknowledged the giuer of euery good and perfect gift to bee depended vpon for all comfort instruction and euery good grace to bee acknowledged the author and finisher of our faith the beginner and accomplisher of all our workes in vs and for vs and in the confession of our indignity and misery euen the best to haue his free grace amplified and his prerogatiue yeelded him whose priuiledge it is to say I will forgiue Secondly in prayses to be magnified by his whole Church for the fruites of his free loue manifestlie shining in his workes of creation redemption preseruation and saluation of his Church yea and when his people haue done all they can in way of thankfulnesse for them yet euen the best of them shall acknowledge that they cannot finde what to render vnto him for his vndeserued loue Thus the Tribes goe vppe to Ierusalem to praise the name of the Lord. In the second respect what a singular priuiledge is it that wee haue leaue giuen vs by our requests to speake and commune with our God and where-as the riche treasures of grace and good things are with him surely kept as vnder locke and key how happily may wee by this meanes vnlocke and open them all vnto our selues Yea that when wee cannot by any thing in vs or from vs demerite the least blessing wee beeing lesse then the least mercy yet if wee can but lift vppe one request of faith wee haue preuayled and ouer-come God himselfe in the greatest And if the prayer of one righteous man can preuaile so much as the scriptures testifie of Moyses Iacob Elias how much more when two or three consent togither in priuat prayer But when publike prayer is presented vp by many yea the whole church how can that but exceed in strength For as in experience we see many flowers bound together yeeld the stronger sent and compound water is sweeter thē simple many sticks make a great fire and vnited force more forceable so euery christian alone and a part in this duty is acceptable vnto God but when many ioyne in holy society they are much more pleasing vnto him much more ioyfull among them-selues and much more mutually incouraged to the practises of piety loue one towards another Publike breaches are soone made vp if many Moysesses stand vp in the gap Publike peace if it be wanting is speedily and happily procured when many Eliases lift vp requests vnto the Lord euery one of which are as strong as the Horsemen and Chariots of Israel Publike blessings are easily obteyned when many Iacobs wrastle together with the Lord Fully resolued not to lette him goe vntill hee haue giuen them a blessing The publike ministry is successefully both setled and exercised when the Saints striue with their Ministers by prayers to God for them and when the faithfull labour together in praier for the same purpose The priuate necessities also of any one priuate member of the Church are sooner supplied by the instance and importunity of the whole and such as cannot come vpon their owne feet as the man sicke of the palsie are lette downe by the cordes of the churches prayer and sette before Christ. A powerfull and preuayling thing is it with the Lord when a number of beleeuers are in one place and one accord of one heart and one soule as it were in many bodies to whom hee hath giuen one heart and one way yea one pure language to cal on his name and serue him with one shoulder Fourthly if vnto the three former we shal ad the last part of the ministry performed in our holy meetings we shall see both the glory of God further inlarged the benefit of the church amplified For here we haue also to our vnspeakable good the Keyes of the Kingdome opening and shutting heauen the power of binding or loosing of sinners The authority of deliuering to Satan the obstinate sinners and releasing the penitent Now what glory is it to the almighty when his iust sentence is before hand denounced against the vngodly of the earth Where by him-selfe is cleared in his iudgement and the sinner more iustlie wrapped vp in the bandes of death which he had no care to preuent And on the other side no lesse comfort it is for the humble soule in the same Ministerie of the Word preached to bee fully released from sinne and absolued from all his vnrighteousnesse and assured that whatsoeuer such sentence is rightly pronounced in Earth is ratified also in Heauen These thinges beeing of such an high nature as in which the publicke worshippe of GOD is performed to his so great glorie and our own so great good no marueil if Dauip be so instant in his desire yet these things were after a sort vailed and but shadowed in that ministry of the sanctuary For the Arke it selfe was with curtaines and there lay no high way vnto it no not for Dauid him-self only men must look towards it in their prayers And within that Arke were hidde and chested vppe the tables of the couering representing the VVord read and preached In the Tabernacle also was the golden potte of Mannah a speciall type of our Sacraments and the rod of Aaron shadowing the rod of the church Discipline How much more should wee were wee not so