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
A23606	Precious promises the portion of overcomers. / By John Lougher, minister of the Gospel.	Lougher, John, d. 1686.	1681 (1681)	Wing L3093B; ESTC R217742	97,531	281

God Coessential and Coeternal with the Father with their blood How few would dare to appear to own it as it is said Athinasius did when the World was in a manner over-run with Arianism When St. Peter had maid that excellent confession Matth. 16.16 17. Thou art Christ the Son of the living God what says Christ to this Blessed art thou Simon c. and though he was afterwards foiled yet he overcame all in the end Acts 4.19 Quest 2. What is that Paradise of God promised here to Overcomers Answ Heaven even the third Heaven the true Celestial Paradise For what in one verse 2 Cor. 12.2 4. St. Paul stiles the third Heaven in another he calls it Paradise And thus to be taken in the Text and Doctrine now before us Here seems to be an allusion to the Garden of Eden where God disposed of Adam after he had created him Gen. 13.10 stiled the Garden of God which was a large circuit of ground richly furnished with all good things as became so excellent a Workman and was every way answerable to the ends for which it was prepared Cant. 4.12 Some judge it was a type of the Church which is called a Garden enclosed and a Figure of Heaven It was doubtless the choicest spot of ground in the World there were all sort of pleasant Trees and delightful Fruits and free liberty to eat of them all one onely excepted Who can declare the delights of the Celestial Paradise Eden had a very famous River that ran through it and watered it Psal 46.4 So there is a River in Heaven far excelling that the Streams whereof make glad that City of God It doth overflow to refresh the Church here but runs with a full current there and ravish the Inhabitants of that Paradise with unexpressible pleasures for evermore In Eden of old the Covenant between God and Adam was perfect till man brake it In Heaven the new Covenant and all the mysteries of Grace therein are accomplished Adam was without sin and sorrow and might easily have so kept himself when he was in Eden But there is no possibility of sin or trouble in the heavenly Paradise In the Garden of Eden Adam had free access to and fellowship with his Creator but in Heaven they have it with God as a Father and more fully and durably then Adam had by which we may see the Paradise what it is Quest 3. Who and what is the Tree of Life mentioned in the Text Answ Christ himself and he onely is the true Tree of Life Pro. 3.18 So stiled by Solomon under the name of Wisdom thus he speaks of Christ She is a Tree of Life to them that lay hold upon her an allusion to that Tree of Life which was in the Garden of Eden which is made by some a Sacrament and Seal of that Covenant by which God assured Adam the continuance of his natural Life during his abode on Earth and Eternal Life when he should be removed from hence in case he kept this Covenant They who lay hold on Christ by true Faith have the best Seal that can be of Spiritual and Eternal Life 1 Jo. 5.12 He that hath the Son hath Life the Fountain of Life the Bread of Life the Water of Life the Well of Life the Tree of Life That Tree in Eden was as some judge both alimentum and medicamentum food and physick so is Christ he is the Tree of Life that is said to bear twelve manner of Fruits every month and whose Leaves are for the healing of the nations Rev. 22.2 That Tree of Life in Eden stood in the midst of the Garden Gen. 2.9 that it might be often in the view of our first Parents which way soever they went either to their Food or to their Employment Christ is in the midst of the Paradise of God and will be in the view of all Believers for ever Those Trees of Righteousness will be round about him to all Eternity But you will say Quest 4. What is it to eat of this Tree of Life Answ To eat is to press forth the vertue and sweetness that is in our Food that we may partake of the benefit thereof Overcomers shall participate of the fulness of Christ to their own joy In eating there is a natural delight arising from the taste of our meat 't is said They did eat Neh. 9.15 and delighted themselves in thy great goodness so of others that they did eat and were all filled 1 Kings 19. Elijah did eat and was strengthened of another 't is said 1 Sam. 30. he did eat and his Spirit came again and he revived They that get Victory over their Spiritual Enemies shall feed and feast themselves upon Jesus Christ the true Tree of Life in Heaven whereby all their desires shall be satisfied and their Appetites quenched and they everlastingly strengthened to behold his glory and to follow him whethersoever he goeth Quest 5. Why does the promise run in these terms That he will make them eat of the tree of life in the midst of the paradice of God Answ Partly to mind us of that first sin by which we were overcome in Adam as he was the publick head and representative of all mankind that we may be humbled for it and partly to shew us that this happiness then lost is recoverable by Christ the second Adam and shall be the portion of them that overcome Not that they shall return again to the Garden of Eden as some have concluded from this Text but a far more excellent estate and felicity than we should have had if Adam had never fallen which caused some to cry out O felix peccatum O happy sin of Adam which has occasioned the bringing in of a far better estate The Uses follow Vse 1. Are these things true Behold here the misery of all such as are totally and finally overcome by the grand enemies of their souls they are excluded for ever from the good of this promise as Christ said of them who slighted the invitation of the Gospel Luke 14.24 They shall never taste of my supper So he speaks of these here I will never give them to eat of my fruits those fruits which grow upon me the tree of Life They have temporal delights which are a paradise to them and are so well satisfied with these things That a Noble man in France is reported to say He would not change his part in Paris for a part in Paradise Such a one was the young man in the Gospel who would not quit his earthly treasures for heavenly and these assured by Christ himself Worldly contents are their chief joy though but a Fools paradise Thou fool says Christ to him that bid his soul take its ease for he had goods for many years Luke 12.20 Solomon among other vanities planted Orchards and Gardens with variety of Trees Eccles 2. but not a Tree of Life amongst them all Oh! that men could believe how sad their end

a man tells his friend a secret he would not have others know he whispers in his ear so the Lord deals with his People he reveals those secrets to them which every one shall not know which indeed eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor hath entred into the hearts of other men These God reveals to Believers by his spirit 1 Cor. 2.9 10. On this account is the Church stiled by Christ a Garden enclosed Cant. 4.12 Not only are Believers as to their persons so enclosed that they cannot fall away and miss of salvation nor are the graces of such only so enclosed that they perish not but they are also enclosed in their mystical enjoyments that none partake of them but themselves To which agreeth that Prov. 14.10 The heart knoweth its own bitterness and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy Believers have bitter and sweet listings up and castings down sorrows and joys peculiar to themselves alone Quest You will say What are those special favours Christ gives those that overcome which others cannot receive Answ There are many of these peculiar tokens of special love he doth bestow upon them that by faith get Victory over their spiritual Enemies as true Believers do we read that Abraham gave the sons of the Concubines portions and sent them away but to Isaac he gave all that he had Gen. 25 5 6. God gives portions in this Life even to all to the worst of men but some things Believers have others share not in They have the Lord for their God in a peculiar covenant-relation 't is said he is not ashamed to be called their God Heb. 11.16 others have none of the life of God given them none of the fulness of God none of the peculiar knowledge of God no special interest in the attributes of God none of the saving influential goodness of God all which the Saints receive Yea they partake of Christ they have received Christ Jesus the Lord Colos 2.16 others are without Christ no right to the Covenant no interest in the Promises no reconciliation no righteousness no acceptance no salvation for these benefits are derived to men by Faith in Christ I might adde Believers only are partakers of the spirit of God I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter saith Christ even the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive John 14.16 17. And he is to them a Spirit of Light and Wisdom a Spirit of Power and Love and of a sound mind a spirit of Grace and Holiness a spirit of Love and joy none of which things others partake of But I wave those and confine my discourse to those in the Text. 1. Hidden Manna To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna that is of Christ himself whom though none of the Princes of this World knew yet God reveals this hidden Manna to his hidden ones by his Spirit It is an allusion to the Manna God gave Israel the Wilderness which was a famous and excellent type of Christ as he himself largely declares John 6. Moses gave you not that Bread from Heaven but my Father giveth you the true Bread from Haven For this pointing to himself is the Bread of God which cometh down from Heaven and giveth life unto the World verse 32.33 and so verse 48. I am that Bread of Life Again vers 56. This is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven whereof if a man eats he shall not dye This Manna God gave the Jews was twice hidden 1. It fell in the dew of the Morning and so was hidden from their sight for it is said when the Dew was gone up they saw a little round thing and when they saw it they said it is Manna Ex. 16.14 15 33. And 2. It was hidden when some part of it was by Gods appointment put into a golden pot and preserved as a memorial of that wonderful Work to future Generations unto this latter many take the Text to allude The sense of this Promise take in two things 1. That Christ will give Overcomers to feed and feast upon himself sweet tastes of himself here in Dunes and Ordinances Even in these they shall be able to say as Christ did I have meat to eat you know not of Joh. 4.32 we have hidden Manna given us the World cannot taste of Of this they eat sometimes in Prayer when Hannah had prayed she was so strengthened by this Manna that 't is said her countenance was no more sad 1 Sam. 1.18 An ancient once speaking of what he met with of Christ in this Ordinance said nunquam abs te absque te recedo Lord I never go from thee without thee very sweet are the Refreshments victorious souls meet with in this Duty so in hearing the word they meet with more than a voice of words even Angels food the hungry soul is filled they eat the word as Jeremiah saith he did and find their weak hands strengthened their feeble knees confirmed their fainting hearts comforted their doubts resolved and their minds settled Whilst Peter was preaching the word the Holy-Ghost fell upon all the hearers Acts 10.44 Especially in that great Ordinance of the Lords Supper Believers feed not only upon Sacramental Bread but hidden Manna also Here they eat his Flesh which is meat indeed and drink his Blood which is drink indeed and sup with Christ and he with them Here they have a feast of fat things and wine on the lees well refined they are satisfied as with marrow and fatness and taste his love which is better than wine fat things both sweet and filling yet not cloying as other fat things are My soul is satisfied with the goodness of thy house even of thy holy Temple says David Psal 65.4 We read that the Israelites nauseated the Manna We have nothing besides this Manna Numb 11. who shall give us flesh to eat The excellent Bread God gave them was now but light Bread and they loathed it and grew weary of it but the spiritual refreshments Believers sometimes are partakers of have a present delight in them and create an earnest appetite in the soul after them Such hidden Manna does Christ give them to eat here 2. This Promise intimates that they shall feed and feast themselves upon him in Heaven He is hid and laid up there as the Manna in the golden pot was laid up in the holiest of all which was but a shadow of this mystery This none but themselves can be admitted to share in for without are the fearful and the unbelievers Here they eat by Faith there by sight here now and then a little as they are able to bear there fully and without intermission Here when the King sits at the table their spiknard sends forth its savour their graces and gracious affections slow forth What will the Sweet-Meats of Heaven the full and eternal fruition of this Banquet the everlasting enjoyment of these Dainties produce in them