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_v	3,518	5	10.1195	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19178	A reply to Dr. Mortons generall Defence of three nocent [sic] ceremonies viz. the surplice, crosse in baptisme, and kneeling at the receiving of the sacramentall elements of bread and wine.	Ames, William, 1576-1633.; Calderwood, David, 1575-1650, attributed name.	1622 (1622)	STC 559; ESTC S100126	108,813	126

to creep into their place The sacraments sayth he doe signifie grace conferred and morall signes doe signifie a dutie of man in some morall vertue But the Scripture teacheth us that the Sacraments doe also signifie the dutie of man towards God For by the sacraments the whole covenant is signed and sealed betwixt God and man so that not onely Gods conferring of grace but mans dutie through grace is there professed and represented This the name Sacrament as it signifieth an oath or obligation doth import by Bellarmines owne confession de sacram l. 1. c. 8. This the name ●ucharist doth also shew in the Lords Supper notifying that thankfulnesse we owe unto God This the words of institution doe plainly testifie in the Lords Supper Doe this in remembrance of me And I think the Def. vvhen he considereth the matter well will not dare to deny but that sanctitie which he sayth is signified by the Surplice is signified in Baptisme and constancie also which hee ascribeth to the crosse If he doe he may be easily confuted by those places where the scripture speaketh of it especially Rom. 6. throughout the chapter 2 Against that morall signification attributed unto humane inventions I propound this argument in the words of a ●overend man whom for some reason I will not name To be a teacher of my understanding and an exciter of my devotion are such effects at require vertue inherent or assistent to those things which should be causes of them● but no signe of mans devising hath any such vertue in it or with it for then it must come from that word put forth in the creation and s● things naturall should haue a force communicated to them of teaching supernaturall or else by Gods after-institution such we read not any but of Baptisme and the Lords supper onely or by the Churches impetration But this cannot be for prayer obtaineth those effects of things to which they serue by Gods creation and institution but not any creating or new conception of things to supernaturall uses For then the Church might ask that this or that creature might be made a sacrament unto her in which case she should pray without all warrant from Gods will 3 If humane inventions be such morall admonishers in spirituall duties the consciences of men without doubt are bound to subject themselves unto their admonitions and then unto them from whom they doe admonish or by whom they are made admonishers i. to mortal men such as our convocation consists on Is not this good divinitie 4 Whatsoever is ordained in the Church as a teaching signe that ought often to bee interpreted unto the people in Sermons for that is the teaching which must cleare and perfect all teaching of signes and should not they preach fairly in the name and words of Christ that should expound unto the people the signification of a surplice and a crosse Would not this also be much for the edification of the people that sometime they must heare of the morall good vvhich the ceremonies teach and sometime be admonished of the right meaning of our convocation house in the appointing of these ceremonies left they turne them to morall evill in superstition and at other times they must be instructed how to defend these ceremonies against the opposers of them lest otherwise they use them without faith Surely all the Sermons which many Parishes heare would ●caree be sufficient for this doctrine of Ceremonies 5 I dare appeale to the eonfciences of the best conforming Christians whether ever they found themselves truely stirred up to holinesse by the Surplice or to constancie by the Crosse one thing I am sure of that in some one congregation where these ceremonies haue not appeared for 20 or 30 yeares together there hath been more holinesse and constancie of faith then in many Cathedrall Churches where they were never omitted This poynt being cleared there need no great answer be given to the cavill of making signification the chiefe poynt of a sacrament For if the Def. meant to deale plainly vvhy doth he change the vvords that he may find some colour for his accusation The Abridgement sayth onely that it is a chiefe part he accuseth them for saying it is the chiefe part betwixt vvhich two phrases he knoweth how great roome there is for a wedge 2. To proue that signification is one chiefe part the Abridgement alleageth Gen. 17. 11. Exod. 12. 13. Luk. 22. 19. why is no answer given to these places if the assertion bee false 3 The Def. himselfe in his distinction which he bringeth here concerning a sacrament doth allow one chiefe part of a sacraments nature to be signification ad modum signi Be●●armine therefore hath as good a friend of him as of the Abridgement But sayth he arguing herein against himselfe if signification bee a principall part of a sacrament then all the morall signes used in the Le●iticall worship should be properly deemed sacraments Why so because things take their denomination from the principall parts True but 1. as hath been observed there is difference betwixt a principall and the principall 2. Every thing that hath denomination from a principall part hath not properly the same name vvith it A man may in some sense be called spirituall because his principall part is a spirit yet he may not be properly deemed a spirit 3. all those ceremonies which had signification in the Leviticall law haue this denomination from sacraments that they are properly called Sacramentall 1. participating something of the nature of sacraments though they be not sacraments properly so called SECT VI. A Second objection from reason is here brought in● viz. that if ceremonies which God himselfe hath ordained to teach his Church by then morall signification may not now be used much lesse may any of those which man hath devised But vvhy doth the Def. passe by all the allegations vvhich belong to this reason in the Abridgement p. 33. 34. they cite to this purpose first the Councel of Nice Austine Martyr Bullinger Lavater Hospinian Piscator Cooper Westphal●s c. And then after Calvin Bullinger Hospinian Arcularius Virel Bison Reynolds Willet c. And againe Calvin Bullinger Chemnitius Danaeus Hospinian Arcularius our book of Homilies Humphrey Reynolds Willet c. Are all these worth no answer at least they shew that this is no new reason divised by the Nonconformists but the common tenent of Protestants and the ground whereby they confute the superstition of Papists Yet let us heare his answer to the reason as it is nakedly in it selfe considered remembring alwayes that he can say nothing but that which the Papists may as well say for many of their ceremonies against this argument pressed vpon them by our Divines His first answer is that the use of some Iewish rite without any Iewish opinion is not damnable instancing in circumcision and Easter Where 1. he should haue told us how a Iewish rite can bee used without some part of a