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	promise_n	seal_n	4,049	5	9.6971	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18567	The exaltation of the kingdome and priesthood of Christ In certaine sermons vpon the 110. Psalme: preached in the Cathedrall Church and city of Worcester, in the time of Christmasse: anno Domini: 1596. By Rob. Abbot, doctor of Diuinitie, sometime felow of Baliol Colledge in Oxford.	Abbot, Robert, 1560-1618.	1601 (1601)	STC 51; ESTC S115231	83,503	102

righteous God this iniquity shall neuer be purged from you till ye die Thus the prophet Amos mentioning their extreme cruelty towards the poore inferreth thereupon d Amos 8.7 The Lord hath sworne by the excellency of Iacob that he will neuer forget any of their workes These are fearefull speeches and being pronounced of others they are written to instruct and admonish vs that we doe not by obstinate and wilfull rebellion prouoke the Lord and vrge him from day to day by our proud and insolent contempt and despising of his words least whilest we abuse his patience to far we cause him to sweare our destruction and to set his oath as an euerlasting bar betwixt him and vs. He will haue vs to vnderstand that it is not in vaine that he threatneth the sinfull man and if his word be not enough he sheweth vs that he voweth and sweareth the confusion of them that will not be reclaimed Let vs therefore be wise in time and learne hereby to feare the Lord that we bring not this remeadilesse and dreadfull iudgment vpon our owne heads The ●ath of God for the saluation of the saithfull 6 Now God as he hath sworne the destruction of the wicked so hath he also sworne the saluatiō of them that beleeue and obey him The foundation of which saluation he here laieth with an oath confirming thereby the priesthood of Iesus Christ not so much to assure the same vnto Christ himselfe as to settle in vs an assurance of comfort to be receiued thereby For God seeing our weakenesse to be such that we haue need of all maner of props and staies to hold vs vp would haue his purpose of grace and life by Christ to be testified vnto vs not onely by his word and promise but also by his oath that whatsoeuer impediments might seeme to hinder that which we haue beleeued through Christ yet nothing should shake vs from faith and hope because we haue to doe with him who being able to doe whatsoeuer he will will not be found a liar in his word much lesse forsworne and periured in his oath a Heb. 6.17 God saith the author of the epistle to the Hebrewes willing the more abundantly to shew vnto the heires of promise the stablenesse of his counsell bound himselfe by an oath that by two immutable things wherein it is impossible that God should he that is his promise and his oath we might haue strong consolation which haue our refuge to hold fast the hope that is set before vs c. The reason then why God sweareth vnto vs is that we should receiue strength of comfort thereby resting assured that our b Rom. 5.5 hope shall neuer shame vs and that there is no more possibility that it should deceiue vs then it is possible for God to forsweare himselfe What comfort and assarance we are to conceine of the oath of God as touching our sa●uation 7 This is his kindenesse towards those that are his this is his fatherly care to comfort and vpholde vs in the assured hope and expectation of his mercies Which mercy of God in thus condescending to our weakenesse and frailtie we are to apply to the stablishing of our faith and to the arming of our consciences against al temptation of distrustful and perplexed feare He hath bound himselfe vnto vs by his couenant and promise by writing and seale and as if all this were not enough he hath added his oath also By all these meanes he hath confirmed vnto vs his blessing the forgiuenesse of our sinnes the assistance of his grace the protection of his hande the continuance of his loue and the blessed hope of euerlasting life What is it therefore that shoulde quaile our faith or discomfort the hope that God hath giuen vnto vs Sinne is offensiue and displeasing vnto God the diuell is mightie and strong hell pleadeth a right whereby it chalengeth vs to it selfe our consciences by any merite of our owne cannot pleade the contrarie but neither the offence of sinne nor the power of Satan nor the pleading of hels title nor the subscribing of our owne consciences to the confession of our owne guilt can so much preuaile as to bring God to the denying of himselfe to the violating of his oath whereby he hath bound himselfe to forgiue their sinnes and to saue them from hell and from the diuell that doe beleeue in him a Hierony epi● ad Rusticum If wee beleeue not God vpon his promise saith Saint Hierome yet let vs at least beleeue him when he sweareth for our saluation The oath of God is a sure foundation builde thy selfe vpon it and thou shalt neuer be remooued Thus God comforteth the repentant man b Ezech. 33.11 As I liue saith the Lorde I desire not the death of the wicked but that the wicked should iurne from his way and liue If God then haue touched thy hart with true repentance why doubtest thou of thy selfe seeing God hath not onely saide but sworne that thy life is the thing that hee desireth and delighteth in Thus hee comforteth the faithfull afflicted soule c Isa 54.9.10 As I haue sworne that the waters of Noah shall no more goe ouer the earth so haue I sworne that I will not be angrie with thee nor rebuke thee For the mountaines shall remooue and the billes shall fall downe but my mercie shall not depart from thee neither shall the conenant of my peace fall awaie saith the Lord that hath compassion on thee This is the comfort that God yeeldeth not onely to his church in generall but in particular also to euery member thereof that the couenant of his peace shall stande in●●●…e with them that his mercie shall neuer faile them that bee will neuer cease to d Icrein 31.3 loue them as another prophet saith With an euerlasting loue 8 The papists ouerthrow the comfort that God off●r●th vnto vs by his oath Another maner of comfort then we can receiue by the doctrine of the papists who make the promise of God his oath altogither idle and of none effect teaching vs no other faith or hope to be conceiued thereof but such as leaueth vs hanging betwixt heauen hel more perplexed with feare the diuell then reioycing in the perswasion of the loue of of God A man with them may not be fully perswaded in his hart that he hath receiued the grace of God or founde fauour in his sight It is too much presumption for a man to thinke that he is beloued of God or hath obtained the forgiuenesse of his sinnes Which what is it else but to set a man vpon a racke and to waue him and tosse him to and fro anguished and vexed betwixt doubtfull hope and tormenting feare How farre is this from that resolution and ioy of faith whereunto the holy Ghost instructeth vs which mounting vp aboue the skies and laying it selfe in the lappe of Iesus Christ contemneth the world

see it whether they will or not and it shall come to passe which the prophet saith c Esa 26.11 They will not behold thy high hand O Lord but they shall see it and shal be confounded with the zeale of thy people and the fire of thine enemies shall denoure them againe when on the other side they that seeme in this life altogether to haue escaped the hand of God shall at once receiue a doome fully answerable to all their sinfull and wicked deeds And surely when God punisheth some in this life as he doth and doth not punish other who notwithstanding haue deserued it as well as they what doth he but teach vs to expect a further day when his wrath shal be further made manifest vpon them both Let it not therefore be grieuous or troublesome vnto vs to see them for the time flourish and prosper in their euill waies neither let vs yeeld our harts to be bewitched with the sight of their present glory so as to be content for the enioying of their deceitfull pleasures to follow them but as our eies do now behold their outward blisse so let our faith in the word of God behold their end and we shall see a portion assigned for them wherof we would not choose to be partakers with them for the gaining or obteining of the whole world The extent of Christs kingdome vnto the Gentiles 9 In the sixt verse the prophet first of all setteth foorth the large extent of the dominion and kingdome of Iesus Christ as who hath his throne erected and established not onely amongst the Iewes to raigne ouer the seede of Abraham but amongst the Gentiles also and heathen people who being before a Ephs. 2.12 aliens from the common wealth of Israell strangers from the couenants of promise without hope and without God in this world are by the preaching of the Gospell b Psal 47.9 ioyned vnto the people of the God of Abraham and graffed vpon their stocke to bee partakers with them of like adoption and grace vnto cuerlasting life Thus had God promised before c Psal 2.8 I will giue thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the vttermost parts of the earth for thy possession d Psal 72.8 His dominion shall be from the one sea to the other and from the floud vnto the worldes ende e Vers 11. All kinges shall worship him all nations shall doe him seruice Manie notable prophecies are there found to this purpose which it shall not be needfull to rehearse Which haue beene so notablie verified since the time of Christes ascention by the passage and preaching of the Gospell through the worlde the Gentiles thereby acknowledging the God of Abraham and accepting the blessing that was promised vnto them in his seede as that we may greatly marualle at the blindnes and obstinacie of the Iewes who by no meanes will belecue that these are the times of which the Prophets foretold or be perswaded that the Messias promised vnto their fathers is come when as notwithstanding they see that come to passe which according to their owne bookes could not be but in the daies and by the comming and kingdome of the true Messias But now that God hath had this compassion vpon our for lorne wretched estate and hath called vs to the felowship of this grace let vs as the Apostle willeth a Rom. 15.9 praise God for this mercie and endeuour with all our harts to b 1. Thess 2.12 walke worthie of him that thus hath called vs to his kingdome and glorie Yea and let the loue that we beare to the roote and stocke whereon we growe mooue vs to praie vnto the Lord for them who were the c Rom. 11.21 naturall braunches of that oliue tree whom God for the time hath out off that by that occasion he might showe mercie vnto vs that now yet at length he will returne vnto them and as hee tooke away the d Eph. 2.14 partition wall that kept vs from them when they as yet enioyed the ptinilege of his grace so hee will nowe take from their harts e 2. Cor. 3.15 the veile of vnbeleefe that keepeth them from vs that seeing the light of his Gospell and being gathered with vs by faith into the bosome of his church and all being made one sheepefold vnder one shepheard both they and wee may thenceforth looke for the comming of this shepheard Iesus Christ to giue vnto vs the end of our faith and hope and to performe vnto vs the good things which he hath promised f 1. Cor. 2.9 which neither eie hath seene nor eare hath heard nor haue entred into the heart of man which God hath prepafor them that loue him 10 Nowe when the father appointeth him the iudge amongst the Heathens Christ appointed the iudge and what is thereby attributed vnto him he thereby giueth him authoritie and power to prescribe lawes to determine controuersies and to punish them that will not be obedient vnto him For God hath put all his wordes into the mouth of this iudge and hath made him the g Luc. 7.16 great Prophet by whom he would fully and finally reueile vnto vs his will that all mens eies may looke onely vnto him Christ the onely lawgiuer to his Church and all mens eares may receiue lawes from his mouth and in all thinges belonging to the state and gouernment of his spirituall kingdome may depend vpon his voice without deuising new lawes themselues or accepting them of the deuise of other men They therefore that set vp other lawgiuers in the church what doe they but pull downe Iesus Christ and nullifie the worde whereby God the father hath set him vp to bee the soueraigne and onely iudge as the papists doe The papists setting vp other lawgiuers against Christ. who not contenting themselues with the worde of Iesus Christ haue imposed vpon the church the burden of their owne traditions and haue set vp the bishop of Rome to bee a perpetuall Dictatour vnto the church to establish lawes of his owne and by his Non obstante to take away the lawes of Christ A notable example whereof appeered in the Councell of Constance where mentioning the institution of Christ administring the sacrament vnder both kindes and saying Drinke yee all of this they yet decree that Hoc non obstante a Concil Constant sess 13. this notwithstanding the laie people shall not be partakers of the cup calling it a peruerse or preposterous vsage to minister vnto them in both kindes and a rash assertion to affirme that so it ought to be and condemning them for heretickes that will minister in that sort What was this but the very presumption of Antichrist setting vp himselfe aboue the sonne of God and taking vpon him to censure and controll the lawes of Iesus Christ But let vs leaue them to their owne pride and wilfull deuises acknowledge no other but