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	sacrament_n	seal_n	5,151	5	9.5245	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02396	Corpus Christi: by Edmund Gurnay	Gurnay, Edmund, d. 1648.	1619 (1619)	STC 12527; ESTC S103556	28,959	116

Apostles and their successors for euer were indued with this diuinitie of power to cause all these foresaid miracles as oft as they shall thinke good vnto the end of the world That He which hath so done His maruelous acts as that they ought to bee had in remembrance Psal 111. Hee which will haue His works considered to the verie sparkes Eccl. 42. And He whose works doe not hinder one another Eccl. 16.26 is not with standing the author of all those inglorious obscure and selfe-confounding miracles That all these so strange intricate and to forbeare the qualitie of them so stupendious operatious and conditions the Mediatour does ordinarily vndergoe and performe for no necessity of man but this namely to assure men of His incarnation and suffering for them That the meanes of Faith are more hard to brooke then the Faith it selfe as much as it is more hard to beleeue that the Sonne of God does vsually take vpon Him the forme of a peice of bread for me then to beleeue that once He took the forme of a reasonable man for me That miracles are ordinarily afforded to confirme that faith which had nothing but heating to beget it That greater miracles are ordinarily afforded to confirme faith then euer were afforded vnto the first conuersion of any whomsoeuer vnto the faith That whereas such as will not beleeue Moses the Prophets Luk. 16.31 will neither beleeue the greatest miracle yet not withstanding must they which haue Moses and the Prophets and the Gospel continually published amongst them notwithstanding expect a continual course of the greatest miracles toward onely the confirming their beleefe That He which will not saue them that goe to sea but by means because He will not haue the workes of His wisedome to be idle Wis 14.5 will notwithstanding vse incredible miracles towards the producing that effect the strengthning of faith which both doth loose the grace the more it is supported by miracles and also hath a speciall meanes ordained of God for the breeding and furthering of it namely publike preaching and finally the al-sufficient and most necessarie operation of the holy Ghost promised and assigned thereunto That whereas planting and watering are one 1. Cor. 3.8 begetting and preseruing as generation and nutrition proceeding of the same causes yet are such kind of miracles to bee expected for the confirming and strengthening faith which are not able in the least measure to beget faith nothing beeing of force to conuert outwardly an vnbeleeuer vnto the faith but that which the light of nature beyond which his capacitie cannot reach can entertaine whereunto these supposed miracles are most repugnant That planting and watering beeing one and of the two planting beeing the more noble yet must the Redeemer in His owne person water whom by His ministers He daily planteth That the Sunne in the firmament so abundantly inlightning and refreshing all creatures here below by meanes of ordinarie beames without any corporall descending yet must the Sonne of Righteousnesse so infinitely surpassing that creature in glorie brightnesse state and vertue notwithstanding corporally and personally descend were it no more for the onely inlightening and refreshing His vineyard and plantation That whereas Kings and Princes vpon earth haue this prerogatiue to indow and possesse whome they thinke good with dignities and benefits by the meanes of a Patent or a Seale without stirring a foote further yet the King of Kings hauing giuen His Patents and Seales His Couenants and Testaments yea Himselfe once Sacraments ordinarily with His grace continually must notwithstanding come Himselfe in person or else His gift must be of no force That farre harder burthens are laid vpon the weakest vnder the Gospel then vpon the strongest vnder the Law namely to beleeue and expect those performances which are farre lesse expectable at the hands of God then the pitch of the strongest faith the remoouing of mountaines That Hee which will not bruise a broken reed Esa 42.2 but will so tenderly handle and foster it as shall make it growe together againe does notwithstanding deale so extreamely with His littlest ones as vnlesse they can beleeue that to bee their Sauiour which all the world would take to be a morsell of bread they must looke for no saluation That whereas the strong beleeuer Moses did doubt whether water would follow vpon his striking the rocke Numb 20.10 though God had expressely promised as much and was readie to effect it whereas also that vertuous Sarah and the blessed Marie did likewise make question how those miraculous conceptions could betide them which Angels from heauen did sensibly and expresly promise them yet notwithstanding must it be expected at the hands of the weakest beleeuers when they shall see that which is confessed and must be acknowledged for ordinarie bread that they presently vpon the speaking two or three words beleeue vpon paine of damnation that it is out-right become their very God and that without hauing more motiues so to beleeue then they haue to beleeue a rocke a lyon a lambe or c. by which names He is as expressely called as euer He was by the name of this bread to be their God That He which appeared so glorious and so wonderfull when He shewed but a little of Himselfe vnto some of his seruants Moses and Elias and that but seuerally yet when He meanes to make His personall approach vnto His Spouse the Church He then on the contrary puts off all His glorious apparell and without so much as a messenger going before Him without any noise either of a wind as at the descending of the Holy Ghost or of a voice loud or soft to giue notice of His comming Hee alwaies exhibites Himselfe vnto her thus contrarie to Himselfe in the common senslesse and silly forme of belly-bread made a little before of the Baker and a strong motiue vnto the Church no doubt to put all her confidence in Him which euery worme can ouer-master That He which in Scripture ordinarily conuinceth men of Idolatrie onely vpon this because they worship that which their common sense can tell them is a sensles creature does not with standing ordinarily present Himselfe to bee worshipped in that forme which common sense does generally tell vs is a senslesse creature That the euidence which our Sauiour produceth to prooue Himselfe to be risen from the dead handle me and see me c. Luk. 24. is not sufficient to prooue whether that which men handle see and tast bee a peice of bread That the only powers wherby mankind is able to discerne a man from a beast whereby to auoid killing a wife from a stranger whereby to auoid fornication our owne from an others whereby to auoid stealing the hungry from the full wherby to practise charity c. are notwithstanding generally either so weake or so false as that certainely they cannot discerne a morsell of bread from the body of a man a common creature from the Creator Finally to ransacke