Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	faith_n	justification_n	sanctification_n	4,477	5	10.0495	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36016	The mystery of iniquity anatomized by William Dillingham.	Dillingham, William, 1617?-1689.	1689 (1689)	Wing D1483; ESTC R24295	19,111	24

on pretence of its being an insufficient Rule and Direction for Mans Salvation without the Addition of such Things as should in Truth subvert and contradict it and by giving it such a gloss as should be sure to corrupt the Text which he hoped to make uncontroulable if he could so bring it about as that all Corruptions both in Doctrine and Worship might be made incurable by a persuasion in the Minds of Men that the Proposer and Director of them was assisted by an infallible Spirit and could not Err and had received a Power of Dispensing with the Law of God it self and that there were still on Foot a Power of working Divine Miracles employed for the Confirmation of his Doctrines And then for his Kingly Office the Devil would raise up such an one which should pretend to a Donatio Christi as well as Constantini which should invest him with a Power both in Spirituals and Temporals equal to that of Christ himself and therefore make him his Deputy and Plenipotentiary even unto Adoration 2 Thes 2.4 or if that should fail the Devil had one ready sealed which he had made tenders of to Jesus Christ Luke 4.6 7. upon a certain Condition and though he rejected it with Scorn and Abhorrence yet he doubted not to find one who would thankfully accept of it the Draught whereof was already entred among the Divine Records and his bold Claim to it then made should be a sufficient Evidence of his Right But because the Men of the World were like to be something stiff and refractory to part with their Temporal Rights and Possessions therefore he should content himself with what he could get for the present for fear of Knocks yet giving away Kingdoms to those who would adventure for them which giving should prove his Right to retain or dispose of them and deposing whom he durst of those who would not allow him Power to dispose of their Temporals in order to his Spirituals which himself should claim to be the sole Judg of One that should in pursuance of this Claim pretend to pardon Mens Sins against the Law of God and erect a Purgatory or Prison for Offenders whereof himself should keep the Key on the same Bunch with those of Heaven and Hell which he should pretend to wear always at his Girdle One who should exercise Dominion over Mens Faith and Consciences minting new Articles of Faith at his Pleasure to be believed by them under no less pain then eternal Damnation Thus Satan thought it a thing not altogether unpossible for him to supplant and defeat Christ in all his Offices and thereby degrade him from that Honour wherein his Father had invested him who had given him a Name above every Name that the Angels of God should worship him and that to his Power and Authority every Knee should bow that his Humane Nature as existing in his Person and his Person as God-Man and consisting partly of his humane Nature should become the Object of Divine Adoration his humane Nature being assumed into that high Priviledg and Prerogative of partaking of that Worship which God will not suffer to be given to any that is not God and also that all Acts of Grace should be dispensed unto the Church as the alone purchase of his Merit and at his sole Instance and Intercession And if Satan could but gain this Point and Design upon the Person and Offices of Christ he hoped to lay his Faith and Religion low enough and in a great measure to defeat the great Design of the Gospel the Salvation of Mens Souls Which he should the more easily hereby retain under his Command and keep them still in their Sins and natural Corruptions Which that he might cherish and inflame to the utmost under the mysterious Covert of the Christian Profession he cast about how he might make Provision for the Flesh to improve the Corruptions of Humane Nature unto their utmost Pitch and A●m● And therefore he contrived it so as that the Profession of Religion should not hinder but rather promote the injoyment of all worldly Honours Riches and sensual Pleasures the Lust of the Flesh the Lust of the Eye and the Pride of Life That Men might pursue their Pride and Ambition their Covetousness of Riches and Possessions and their earthly and carnal Pleasures and Delights and yet all the while go for good Christians abusing others and perhaps themselves also into a foolish Persuasion that they were in the first rank of those who should be saved The first of these Corruptions is Pride which being the Devil 's first-born and the principal Master-Lineament of his Image wherewith he had poisoned Humane Nature at the first and being the main Root of all Rebellion and Apostacy from God he took a special Care for its Accommodation in this new Model of his Kingdom And therefore when Men had taken upon them the Profession of the Christian Faith and brought along with them high thoughts of themselves of the acuteness of their Reason and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or uncontroulable Freedom of their Will both which the way of believing and taking things upon God's sole Authority and the necessity of the Grace of God for the Sanctification of the Heart and saving of the Soul seemed to cross and mortify the Devil gratified them in this by setting up Opinions of Religion to the same effect Which have proved a Seminary of most of the Heresies which afterward infected the Church of God for many Ages as proceeding from a corrupt Self-Love or love of corrupted Self and setting up Mans Understanding and Will against those of God whereby Men became 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no longer subject to him Mens Reason was entertained with Notions contrary to the mysterious Truths of the Gospel called by the Apostle the Mystery of Godliness The blessed Trinity of Persons in the Unity of the Divine Essence and the Union of the two Natures in the Person of Jesus Christ God manifested in the Flesh Our Redemption by his Death and Justification by Faith in him Sanctification by his Word and Spirit the Resurrection of the Body and such like And their proud Wills were stroaked and soothed with an opinion of Merit and the self-sufficiency of Natures Stock without being beholden to God for gospel-Gospel-Grace But the main and top-branch of Pride did shew it self in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the asserting of a Superiority and appearing on the top of other Men. Therefore to gratify this Ambition he resolved first to make use of those Eminencies which he found in the Constitution of the Church Christ himself gave some Apostles some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers Eph. 4.11 So that there wanted not Gifts and Offices which Men of Demetrius his Complexion who loved the Preeminency might pretend and aspire unto And if this were not enough to satisfie their Ambition they might build themselves higher Stories by