Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	adam_n	covenant_n	fall_n	2,656	5	9.6090	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45244	A treatise concerning the covenant and baptism dialogue-wise, between a Baptist & a Poedo-Baptist wherein is shewed, that believers only are the spirituall seed of Abraham, fully discovering the fallacy of the argument drawn from the birth priviledge : with some animadversions upon a book intituled Infant-baptism from heaven and not of men, defending the practise of baptizing only believers against the exceptions of M. Whiston / by Edward Hutchinson.	Hutchinson, E. M. (Edward Moss)	1676 (1676)	Wing H3829; ESTC R40518	127,506	243

see how this learned man ere he was aware hath spoyl'd Infant-Baptism for if baptism be a symbol of regeneration as undoubtedly it is then unless you say and that from Scripture grounds that your infants are regenerated or seem so to be baptism doth not at all belong to them And it will no ways help you to say that the Baptists do baptize some persons that are not regenerated for it is enough to warrant our practise if they profess so to be and give us those Scripture characters i.e. actuall faith and Repentance Poed But pray Sir what think you of the Covenant made to Abraham and his natural seed what kind of Covenant was it Bap. I confess there are various opinions about it some say it was a Covenant of grace others a Covenant of works others a mixt Covenant But surely that Covenant made with Abraham and his natural seed called the Covenant of Circumcision or Covenant of the Law was not the Covenant of Eternal life and salvation which was made with all the elect in Christ upon the condition of faith but a distinct Covenant of it self concerning the worship and service of God and so may be called a Covenant of works rather then a Covenant of grace though there was also grace in it as there was in all the Covenants that God ever made with men yet we say it was a distinct Covenant and therefore called the old Covenant and the Covenant of grace the new Covenant And if you say the Covenant of grace was the same in all ages under various administrations we confess it and say that the Covenant of grace was made to Adam after the fall to the Patriarchs and to Abraham before the Covenant of Circumcision was mentioned and is the same to us now But as ours it s called new or renewed yet it doth not follow but this Covenant of Circumcision was a distinct Covenant still for Abraham and all believers in that age were in the Covenant of grace before this Covenant was made and would have been so if the Covenant of Circumcision had never been And if you demand then why the Covenant of works is called the old Covenant and the Covenant of grace the new 1. I answer because of its priority it being the first Covenant God made with man before the fall as Protestant Divines say that God made a Covenant of works with Adam concerning perfect obedience which he had then power to perform And some think God renewed this Covenant of works after the fall as appears by the sacrifices that Adam Abel c. offered and from that Scripture if thou dost well shalt not thou be accepted if not sin lyes at the door And afterwards this Covenant of works or Covenant concerning worship is renewed to Abraham and his posterity 2. It is called the old Covenant in respect to its deteriority it being a Covenant found fault with as the Scripture saith 3. In respect to its decaying and perishing nature it was not durable or lasting as the Apostle saith that which decayeh and waxeth old is ready to perish meaning this Covenant And the Covenant of grace is called the new Covenant First because of its meliority or bitterness it is more excellent as the new heavens and the new earth that God will make will be more excellent then the old 2. In opposition to the old as appears Heb. 8.8 when God says he will make a new Covenant he adds not according to the Covenant when I brought your fathers out of Egipt which was by virtue of the Covenant made with Abraham 3. In respect to its perpetuity and duration it is the everlasting Covenant the Covenant made with Abraham and his natural seed is vanished and done away but this remains as the Apostle says if that which was done away was glorious how much more that which remains That which was done away was the old Covenant or Covenant made with Abraham and his natural seed with all the priviledges of it And that which remains is the new Covenant or promise of eternal life made in Jesus to all believers 4. It is called the new Covenant as to us because renewed in a more Gospel and glorious manner So that we are indeed still under the same Covenant of grace made with Adam and all the partriarchs but not under the same Covenant of works made with Abraham and his natural seed But further that you may know what the Covenant made with Abraham was take the opinion of a late learned Author The old Covenant saith he was a political Covenant made with the Jews as Princes compacts are with their people when they first set up Government God promises them his protection and that he would lead them to a fruitful land overcome all their enemies c. with the like blessings And they promise they will be ruled by him c. To this purpose did God in sundry ways appear to them To Moses to their elders to them all in the cloud and fire and then causes a Tabernacle to be made for him which was a keeping house amongst them where the sacrifices and offerings were his provisions and the Priests his servants that lived on him And unto that Tabernacle and Ark might they repair for counsel and Judgment This people then being under a Theocracy which Samuel does in two places expresly signify at least unto the time of Saul so that the Church and Common-wealth of the Jews were but one It is no wonder if Religion be made their laws and so required of them together with other political Ordinances and statutes for their happinesse and publick peace as a nation And though in their ceremonial offerings and Priests appointmens there was a remembrance still of sin yet had they Types of Christ of remedying mercy and of the glory to come Their sacrifices as I have said serve to the maintenance of this house the Tabernacle and Temple which he was pleased to keep up amongst them for a time God indeed making use of these for Types and representations of other things that is to say spiritual and so the law being a Paedagogy under a temporal dispensation leading men to Christ So far my Author But God hath quite pulled down this house brake up house-keeping as we say and turned the servants Infants and all out of doors Rom. 11. The natural branches are broken off and Heb. 8.13 That which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish And saith the Apostle if that which was done away was glorious c. what was that but this old house with all the priviledges of it But now God hath built him a new house into which he hath admitted none as his houshold servants but believers or such as profess so to be And these two houses are mentioned Heb. 3.2 3 4. where one is called Moses his house and the other Christs house As Moses was faithful in all his house For this man was accounted worthy of more honour then Moses

finds Contention raging within him for now those inferior powers will be no longer subject unto Reason but the rebellious pride of the Carnal appetite is such that the Body ceaseth to be any longer subject to the Soul upon which strivings and contentions enter and from thence all manner of Diseases and Distempers upon the Body for death and all corporeal infirmities are but the immediate effects of the disobedience of the Body to the Soul and man is entred into Contrariety not only with himself but others also and hath a property and principle of Contradiction whereby he opposes quarrels divides from and contends with others And is so far departed from the unity and harmonious agreement that should be in the minds of men especially Christians that now there ariseth passion anger and envy which so disturbs torments and disquiets the mind because others are not like us that from thence follow in a great measure diseases infirmities and bodily distempers because the Soul departs from Harmony and is in continual vexation and anxiety so that the Humors of the Body are disquieted and the radical moisture destroyed Persons that are of a Cholerick Temper are more subject to Diseases than those of a more quiet and s●rene disposition their passion inflames the inward parts and disorders the whole frame of Nature and envious men are subject to Consumptive distempers Invidus alterius rebus macrescit Opimis because his mind is full of dissatisfaction and disquietness being departed from Unity And Solomon tells us The bloody-minded man shall not live out half his dayes And we know those Anchorets and Monks that have retired from the World into Dens and Caves of the Earth that they might live a contemplative Life and be free from all manner of discord contention and division have lived to an exceeding Old Age and free from those distempers and Bodily Infirmities that others meet with the unity agreement and harmony of their minds much conducing to their bodily health So it 's said of Moses that he was an hundred and twenty years old when he dyed his Eye was not dim nor his natural force abated Deut. 34.7 we know of what quiet serene and meek Spirit he was of Numb 12.3 Now the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the Earth so that the quietness of his mind did very much contribute to the sanity of his Body And if Men and Women would more follow the Counsel of the Physitian of their Souls who bids us live in peace unity and love they would not perhaps so often want a Physitian for their Bodies FINIS Some Short Questions and Answers for the Younger Sort. Quest WEre not the Children of Believers Church-Members before Abraham's time Answ No the Scripture makes no mention of any such thing neither was there any visible sign or mark appointed by God to distinguish them from the Children of Unbelievers Quest Was there no successive conveyance of Grace from believing Parents to their Children Answ No because the Children of Believers prov'd as wicked as others insomuch as all flesh had corrupted its wayes and God brought the flood upon the World of Ungodly Quest What then became of the Children that Dyed from Adam to Abraham Answ Those that belonged to the Election of Grace were Saved though in no outward Covenant nor signed by any Visible Ordinance Quest Why then did God make a Covenant with Abraham and his Seed and distinguish them from all Nations Answ Because he had a design that the Messiah should come of his Loins and therefore his Males only are commanded to be Circumcised to signifie that Christ should be a Man-child and should shed his Blood for the sins of Believers Quest What other Ends were there of Circumcision Answ To distinguish them from other Nations with whom they were not to Marry lest the Succession should be Interrupted and so the Messiah not come of Abrahams Loynes Quest What advantage had they of Circumcision besides Answ They were counted the Visible people of God for a time had the Laws of God committed to them and the Land of Canaan and divers Earthly Blessings bestowed upon them Quest But had any other People any right to Eternal Life and Salvation Answ Yea It being evident that God had divers of his people amongst the Gentiles who belonged to the Election of Grace as Job and his Three Friends and others which appears by Bildad's appeal to the Ancients Job 8.8 10. For enquire I pray thee of the Former Age and prepare thy self to the search of their Fathers and vers 10. shall not they teach thee c. Quest But how came it to pass that the Jews became the People of God and not others Answ By vertue of a Grant from God to Abraham who freely made a promise to be a God to him and his Seed after him Quest Was this promise made to Abraham because he was better than others or before or after he Believed Answ No It was freely of Grace for God sound him an Idolater and these Promises were made to him before he Believed for we hear nothing of his Faith till Gen. 15.6 Quest Were his Children then Partakers of those Priviledges meerly by being descended from his Loynes Answ Yea we find no other Reason rendred Quest But we hear Abraham was a Believer and received the sign of Circumcision as a token of the righteousness he had by Faith Is it necessary then that his Children have the like Faith Answ 'T is true Abraham Believed after the Promise and was Circumcised but it was not Commanded that his Children should Believe in order to Circumcision Quest But as Abraham was a Believer before his Children had a right to Circumcision so should it not be known that every Father in Israel were a Believer before his Child were admitted to Circumcision Answ No for all were required to Circumcise their Children whether the Parent Believed or not Quest Were none to be Circumcised but those that Descended from Abraham Answ Yea all that were born in his House or bought with money Quest But was it not required that those Servants in Abraham 's House should profess Faith before they and their Children were Circumcised Answ No It was not commanded to be done upon any condition of Faith in the Parent or Child that was a Servant Quest Were Abrahams Children Circumcised by vertue of any right they had to the Covenant of Grace above others Answ No for some of Noah's Children c. had a Right to the Covenant of Grace yet not Circumcised and Esau and Ishmael c. had no right to the Covenant of Grace and yet Circumcised Quest Were not Infants Church-Members in Abraham 's time Answ Yea the Church and the Common-wealth being all one they must needs be Members Quest When did their Membership cease Answ When Christ came and had suffered when the Priesthood was changed when the Law of Circumcision ceased when the natural