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	seal_n	seal_v	4,393	5	10.3434	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09599	The way to heauen shevving, 1. That saluation is onely in the Church. 2. What that Church is. 3. By what meanes men are added to the Church. 4. The author, or efficient of this addition. 5. The time & continuance of that worke. 6. The happinesse of those that are added to the Church. By Iohn Phillips, Bachelor of Diuinity, and pastor of Feuersham in Kent.	Phillips, John, d. 1640.	1625 (1625)	STC 19878; ESTC S114718	63,953	76

couenant being propounded in the Word and accepted and imbraced of the beleeuer by faith is ratified and confirmed by the Seale of Baptisme and so saluation as by a deede vnder hand and seale is effectually conuaied vnto vs. Therefore Baptisme is called by S. Peter The like figure which now saueth vs because it is not a naked or bare signe of our regeneration and saluation but an effectuall seale organe and instrument to conuay and as it were to set the very stampe and Character of Sauing grace vpon the soule of euery faithfull Christian. Hence is that of S. Ambrose Origo verae vitae veraeque iustitiae in Regenerationis posita est Sacramento c. The originall of true life and of true righteousnesse is grounded in the Sacrament of Regeneration Sutable to this Antiquity is the moderne doctrine of our Christian Church Baptisme saith our Church of England is not onely a signe of profession and marke of difference c. but is also a signe of regeneration or new birth whereby as by an instrument they that receiue Baptisme rightly are grafted into the Church c. Yea Caluin himselfe is so plaine for the efficacy of the Sacrament and to shew that it is not a bare signe that he proueth out of the Epistle to the Romanes Quòd per Baptismum Christus nos mortis suae fecerit participes vt in eam inseramur That by Baptisme Christ hath made vs partakers of his death that we may be ingrafted into it And immediately after in the very next words he saith Qui Baptismum eâ quâ debent side accipunt verè efficaciam mortis Christisentiunt They that receiue Baptism with such faith as they ought doe truely feele the efficacie of Christs death euen as the young graffe receiueth sap from the stock into which it is set And afterwards he calleth Baptisme with S. Paul Lauacrum regenerationis renouationis the Lauer or washing of regeneration and renouation Noting thereby the force of Baptisme Againe Caluin in another place defending the Baptisme of infants against Anabaptists and speaking of the state of infants in Baptisme saith Eos vt viuificet sui participes facit That Christ to the end he may make infants capable of life hee maketh them partakers of himselfe And a little after he taketh away this Anabaptisticall obiection Quomodo regenerantur infantes nec boni nec mali cognitions praediti How can infants be regenerate say the Anabaptists seeing they know neither good nor euill Whereunto Caluin answereth Opus Dei etiamsi captui nostro non subiaceat non tamen esse nullum The worke of God though it be not subiect to our capacity yet it doth not therefore cease to be Thus we see that Baptisme is an effectuall meanes of our entrance into the Church of God They are therefore worthy of seuere reproofe who either out of error vnderualuing the excellency of this Sacrament or through negligence conceiting there is no such necessity of it doe sinfully omit and deferre the seasonable vse of Baptisme Such must suffer themselues to be informed in the truth and know that there is as expresse a mandate for Baptisme as there is for teaching hearing praying or any other pious or morall duty He that said Go and teach said also Baptize them The Apostle did not simply say to those whom he directed in the way to saluation Repent ye but withall he addeth and be baptized euery one of you for the remission of sinnes And it was according to the Lords charge giuen in the Apostles commission which is that they teach mē to obserue whatsoeuer he had commanded them So then though it be not of that absolute necessitie that infants dying without it when it cannot conueniently be had should bee damned according to the Romish bloody position yet seeing there is the necessity of precept men must take heed of neglecting so waighty a dutie If the Iew for the neglect of Circumcision was to be cut off how shall the Christian be excusable How shall hee escape for the omitting of so great a Sacrament Thus we haue seene the meanes whereby men are added to the Church The Word Faith and Baptisme the next point is The Author of this addition and that is The Lord The Lord added to the Church such as should be saued The Rhemists adde the Pronoune Our Lord as their vsuall manner is contrary to their vulgar Latine Edition which yet they pretend in their Translation exactly to follow It is in truth a grosse abuse of the sacred Text to adde so many hundred Pronounes more then euer God made and yet cauill at our Translation for turning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into the word Congregation whereas it is the most proper signification of the word But it is worth the noting to obserue how they are constrained sometime to translate The Lord and not Our Lord seeing in themselues the absurdity of it as in Matthew where it is said The Lord said vnto my Lord there they leaue out the Pronoune perceiuing how odde and harsh the tone would be to translate it Our Lord said to my Lord. These Pronounists doe so glory in the phrase that it is become a distinguishing note of a Romish Catholike insomuch that if any will symbolize with them he must speake in their language as some to please them doe To come to the point It is the Lord that doth adde to the Church such as shall be saued God must perswade Iaphet it is he that must inlarge him that he may dwell in the tents of Shem. He giueth vnto Christ such as are ordained to life otherwise there is a plaine impossibility of our vnion with Christ and his Church For our Sauiour doth peremptorily affirme that no man can come vnto him except the Father draw him and except it were giuen vnto him of his Father The meanes without this efficient cannot be effectuall Paul planted Apollo watered but God gaue the increase without whom neither he that planteth is any thing neither he that watereth God opened the heart of Lydia before she could profitably attend to S. Pauls preaching If his Spirit doe not inwardly coworke with the outward voice it shall but beate the ayre in vaine The reason is euident for mans deadnesse is such that he can no more mooue toward heauen so much as one step then a dead man can rise of himselfe Nay there is in the corrupt nature of man an opposite disposition willingnesse to remaine in the state of sin like Lot to linger in Sodom so that there is naturally a reluctation and striuing against the worke of Grace which remaining in the regenerate in part causeth them that they cannot alwayes doe the good that they would Againe the worke of conuersation and regeneration is a miraculous worke greater then the worke of creation and therefore requireth a diuine power to effect it In

God euer had hath at this time and shall haue to the end many in the very middest of the Papacie that doe not know the whole Mysterie of Romish iniquity but in simplicitie of heart lay hold vpon Iesus Christ and him alone for their saluation They see according to that light they haue many corruptions and enormities bewayle them and shun them as farre as their strength and measure of knowledge and grace will permit These wee say holding the foundation though they may build vpon it the hay or stubble of some errours and superstitions not destroying the foundation may bee saued through the mercie of God in Christ pardoning their sinnes of ignorance and errour vpon their generall repentance We may see the like in the Church of Thyatira there were many that had not that learning as the false teachers in their vaine-glorious bragging termed it nor did know the deepenesse of Satan but did hold fast the maine truth though in much weakenesse and all that God requireth of them is that they be constant in that In the same manner the Lord speaketh to the Church of Philadelphia Thou hast a little strength and hast kept my Word and hast not denied my Name For God doth not so much looke to the measure and quantitie of grace as to the sincerity and soundnesse of it Many godly and learned among them did not by and by vpon the sight of some corruptions leaue and forsake the societie of the Church of Rome Oecolompadius Capito Melancthon and Luther himselfe nay some of them continued in the outward communion of the Romish Church till their dying day as Erasmus and others who thought well of the cause or matter of Reformation but did not approoue Separation being carried away with the mayne streame of the name of Church and Mother Church No maruell therefore if among vs we haue of meaner learning or of the simpler sort that so harpe vpon that string that they haue no eare to hearken to Christs Pipe It is no new thing to see a child mistake and cry out after a stranger in stead of the owne Mother so why may it not be that some in their simplicitie may fall into such a misprizion as to take the Romish Synagogue to be their Mother Church being indeed not so much as a sound member of it but as a disease a Pest or Gangrene in the body It is apparant then that in a corrupt Church some may be sound and so be saued and this we hold of the Church of Rome as corrupt as it is for our Lord would neuer haue said of Spirituall Babylon Come out of her my people if he had none there And let not our Romanists brag of this our ingenuous confession and play vpon it the better to seduce the simple for in truth in standeth them in no more stead to patronize their impieties then the Fathers approouing of the Baptisme of the Donatists and other Heretickes did countenance their Heresies For what is the chaffe the better because it is acknowledged that there is some wheate hid amongst it We doe not say absolutely there is saluation to be found in the Romish Babylon but in the middest of so great confusion there may be saluation for some There is great difference betweene possibility of saluation which may be in a corrupt Church and infallibility which is euer without doubt in the true and Orthodoxe Church Is any so simple as to commit his whole estate into a Ship full of leakes whereof there is iust cause of doubt whether euer it shall safely arriue at the desired Port when he may transport it in a sound and safe vessell Noah and all his if they will not perish in the Deluge must get into the Arke Lot must not tarry in Sodom if he will be safe and free from the common iudgement The people of God must for this very cause come out of Spirituall Babylon both for the danger of infection by sinne and destruction by meanes of her plagues Where therefore the doctrine is Orthodoxe and sound the religious worship seruice and Sacraments for the truth and substance of them the very same with the prime Churches and best antiquity as it is this day blessed be God in our Church of England and the rest of the reformed Churches there is the surest and safest repose for the Christian soule in this society there is infallible certaintie of saluation but in an Apostaticall and corrupt Church as the Romane Church now is it is not so though yet God may reserue a remnant pulling them as it were out of the fire And that with this Caueat That they tarry not in Babylon Thus we haue seene that saluation is onely to bee found in the Church and what that Church is where saluation may be had Now let vs come to the third branch that is by what meanes and how men are to be added to the Church that they may be saued The meanes are expressed in this context and are these three The Word preached Faith to apprehend it And the Sacrament of Baptisme to seale and confirme it This is all required for the admission of any into the Church to heare beleeue and be baptized The Ministery of the Word is the mayne Ordinance of God for the gathering together of the Saints appointed of God to that end and to continue in the Church to the end of the world Therefore it is called The incorruptible or immortall seed whereby wee are regenerated and borne againe and The Word of Truth wherewith we are begotten of God to become his deare children and The first fruits of his creatures yea it is as S. Paul calleth it The power of God vnto saluation Therefore when God would haue any conuerted to the faith hee sends them this meanes Philip is commanded to ioyne himselfe neere to the Chariot of the Eunuch that by his preaching the Eunuch might be ioyned to Christ and his Church S. Peter is sent for to Cornelius to teach him and his the way to heauen by Christ. S. Paul must tarry at Corinth to teach Word of God among them For saith the Lord I haue much people in this Citie And indeed the conuerting of soules is a great worke and great workes had need of potent and mighty meanes therefore it pleaseth God to vse his powerfull Word which as the Apostle faith is mighty through God to the pulling downe of strong holds and casting downe of imaginations and euery high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God and bringing into captiuitie euery thought to the obedience of Christ. This calleth the Teacher to a serious consideration of the waight of his Calling and a conscionable regard to discharge it hee is put in trust with the precious soules of men for whom hee must giue account vnto God Hee is made Gods Steward and therefore must bee faithfull