Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	covenant_n	faith_n	seal_n	4,746	5	9.5373	5	true

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

holie assemblies the holy Angels of God are heere present the holie Saints of GOD stand here vpon this holie ground how is it that wee cannot conceiue these meetings to bee the most beautifull places of the earth How are wee yet as blinde as Moles if wee espie not and turne not our eyes vnto such beauties what a fearefull delusion is befallen them who are so easily wone to the painted beautie of an harlot and despise the natiue beautie of the spouse of Christ What a certaine damnation abide such as by scorning the holy exercises of our publicke meetings and reproching the Preachers and Ministers of them seeke to turne this our glory into shame but more of this in the vses following the doctrine Thus much wee haue spoken of the honorable persons present in our congregations the dutifull respect of whō if we wanted othermotiues were forcible enough to draw Godly hearts with cheerfulnesse vnto our meetings Now the things which are performed in the congregation are of the same qualitie euen holy things namely the whole publike worship of God standing especially in the Ministerie of 1. Word 2. Sacrament 3. Prayer 4. Keyes of the Church of none of which can any that knowes them affirme truly that it wanteth power perswasion to draw any godly heart vnto it And first in these meetings it cannot bee denied but that wee enioy a most comfortable and pretious treasure of the worde of God and that both reade and preached the weaker of which meanes wanteth not his fruitfull vse in the Church that whosoeuer ascribeth not much vnto the publicke reading of the Scriptures well considereth not the necessity of that ancient ordinance of God who of olde would haue Moses reade euery sabboth and instituted a lecture of the law and Prophets The which ordinance of God not onely the holie Apostles but the sonne of God himselfe graced yea honored not with his presence onely but also with his ministery for as his custome was hee went into the synagogue on the Sabboth day and stood vp to read And if here it bee asked what are the speciall benefits reaped by this ordinance instituted out of the wisdome of God I answer First It is a notable meanes to come to the knowledge of the history of the Scriptures wherein the chiefe workes that euer the Lord did in the Church are recorded whether of iustice or of mercie especially those of our fall in the first Adam recouery by the second Secondly to confirme our faith in all the points of Christian faith and religion the maine grounds of which we haue fore-prophecied of in the old testament and are fulfilled in the new 3. To direct our iudgements in proouing of all things and holding that which is good as the Baereans searched the Scriptures to see whether the things were so as Paul preached which if it bee a fruite of priuate reading as the rest also are much more of publicke Fourthly to traine vs to the more profitable hearing of the word preached Fiftly to acquaint vs with the phrase of the Scripture so as wee can both vnderstand and speake the language of Canaan But who can speake of the glory of our ministery in regarde of the worde preached which as a more ordinary and principall meanes leadeth vs along vnto saluation by a more full manifestation of the promise of life yea not onely explayning things to cleare them to the vnderstanding but applying them vnto the heart and affection and vrging them vpon the life and conuersation of a Christian. The blessed worke of which institution will euidently appeare if wee consider the obiects vpon whome it worketh and those bee eyther the vnconuerted or conuerted or both In regarde of the vnconuerted it is the ordinarie meanes to beget them to God by enlightening their eyes opening their eares mollifying their hearts and working faith in their soules which commeth by hearing And what a blessed worke is this whereby the sonnes of wrath become the sonnes of GOD whereby those who are layd lowe in hell by sinne are raised vnto the glory of the highest heauen and whereby the iust heyres of damnation are entituled into the state of saluation to receiue inheritance among those that are sanctified In this excellent vse is it called a Ministerie of reconciliation of peace a word of grace of saluation and of life 2. In respect of those who are conuerted It is a powerfull meanes of the spirit First to encrease their knowledge by the daily clearing of their iudgements from error and ignorance and leading them into all necessarie truths Secondly to strengthen and encrease their faith bringing it with dayly progresse from the infancie and weaknesse of it till the beleeuer attaine his tallnesse and strength in Christ. Thirdly to call them from their dayly wandrings and strayings and settle them in a godly course Fourthly to preuent their falles whilest they are heere partlye furnished with Christian Armour against temptations for through the Ministerie of the worde Sathan falleth like lightning from heauen and his strongest holdes are cast downe partly while they are counselled in their doubts finding the word in this Ministerie especially the man of their counsels Partly while they are admonished of such wayes as are disagreeable to such an high calling as they haue vndertaken Fiftly to raise them out of falls by discouering vnto them the nature and danger of sinne the working of their owne infirmities the bitter roote of originall corruption the poysoned fruites of it and by many motiues continually prouoking their repentance which was the scope Christs fore-runners Sermon yea of his owne preaching and of his Apostles Sixtly most absolutely to direct them through their whole Christian course If they be alone it affordeth them matter of holy meditation that they are neuer lesse then alone when they are most alone except those can be alone who walke with God And if they bee to deale with others it enableth them to become great lights ready and furnished to instruct and comfort abroade to bee as eyes to the blinde and feete to bring the lame to Christ and at home to teach and pray with their family so as their houses become little Bethels and houses of GOD in which the Lord is truely and constantly worshipped and both themselues and the Churches in their houses dayly edified vpon their most holy faith Now in regarde both of the wicked who are by the worde preached more hardened and of the godly whose number by the same meanes are dayly augmented and accomplished the appearing of Christ vnto Judgement is hastened which the Saints ought to long after as in which they expect and shall attaine their full redemption Secondly in the Sacraments wee drinke yet deeper of the Lords bountie who contenteth not himselfe to bring his children vnto the faith by the former meanes vnlesse also hereby hee raise them vnto a full growth in Christ. As a