Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	obedience_n	precept_n	relative_a	30	3	18.2515	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49184	Remarks on the R. Mr. Goodwins Discourse of the Gospel proving that the Gospel-covenant is a law of grace, answering his objections to the contrary, and rescuing the texts of Holy Scripture, and many passages of ecclesiastical writers both ancient and modern, from the false glosses which he forces upon them / by William Lorimer ...	Lorimer, William, d. 1721.	1696 (1696)	Wing L3074; ESTC R22582	263,974	188

is impossible to be done by any power whatsoever which is even impossible to be done by the help of his Spirit and Grace But the Conditional Promise of our Saviour in John 8.51 is of another Nature it is not merely oeconomical but real and intentional really requiring the condition and obliging Men to keep his saying and intentionally promising unto all who do or shall keep his saying that they shall never see Death This plainly appears from the double asseveration wherewith our Saviour spoke the foresaid Promise saying Verily verily I say unto you if a man keep my saying be shall never see doath Whence I conclude that the Gospel is not without all Precepts for here is implyed a Precept to keep Christs saying A Third Tellimony we have in Rom. 10.8 9 10. That is the Word of Faith which we preach that if thou shalt confess with thy Mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy Heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved for with the Heart Man believeth unto Righteousness and with the Mouth confession is made unto Salvation Observe here 1 That by the Word of Faith is meant the Gospel which according to the Dutch Annotations on the place is so called because by it we are exhorted and brought to Faith 2. Observe that besides Faith in the Heart which is required unto Righteousness and Justification there is here required Confession with the Mouth as necessary to the obtaining of consummate Salvation And by Confession with the Mouth is meant an outward Profession of the inward Faith of the Heart and living suirable to our holy Profession Hence Mr. Ma●o in the last English Annotatiens on Rom. 10.9 saith There are but these two things which the Gospel principally requires in order to our Salvation The one is the Confession of Christ with our Mouths and that in spight of all Persecution and Danger to own him for our Lord and for our Jesus and to declare that we are and will be ruled and saved by him and by him only The other is to believe in our Hearts that God hath raisod him from the Dead Whence I conclude again that the Gospel is not without all Precepts for it hath besides the Precept of believing on Christ with the Heart another Principal Precept of confessing him with the Mouth that is of living suitably to our Faith A Fourth Testimony to prove that the Gospel hath Precepts we have in those places of the New Testament where some are commended for their obeying and being subject to the Gospel and others are blamed and threatned for their disobeying the Gospel 1. We find that some are commended for obeying the Gospel and being subject to it Thus the believing Romans are commended for obeying the Gospel Rom. 6.17 God be thanked that ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you This form of Doctrine is the Gospel as the Dutch Annotation on the place tells us saying expresly that the Gospel is a Doctrine of Godliness and Righteousiness And Paul gave God thanks for this that the believing Romans had from the Heart obeyed it Which they could never have done if the Gospel Doctrine had had no Precept requiring their Obedience For speaking of a Doctrine Precept and Obedience are relative one to another so that take away the Precept of a Doctrine and you take away the possibility of Obedience to that Doctrine which hath no Precept On the other hand if we once grant that there is such a thing as Obedience to the Doctrine of the Gospel we must by consequence grant also that the Doctrine of the Gospel hath some Precept which requires that Obedience otherwise it can be no Obedience to that Doctrine Again in 2 Cor. 9.13 we read that the Saints glorified God for the believing Corinthians their professed subjection unto the Gospel of Christ Now it is unconceivable how they could be subject to the Gospel if it had no preceptive commanding Authority over their Consciences For Subjection is relative unto and presupposes a superiour commanding Authority in that whereunto there is Subjection This common sense teaches us But so it is that the Corinthians were subject to the Gospel and therefore the Gospel is not without all Precepts but it had a preceptive commanding Authority over them to which they were subject 2. We find that others are blamed and threatned for not obeying the Gospel Rom. 10.16 They have not all obeyed the gospel 1 Pet. 4.17 What shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God And 2 Thess 1.7 8. The Lord shall take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ But now according to the principle of the Flacian Sectaries that the Gospel hath no Precept there could be no such thing as disobedience to the Gospel For where there is no Gospel Law or Precept there can be no Transgression against the Gospel This one of the Brethren who was for that way plainly saw and granting the consequence declared it to the World in Print Dansons Confer p. 18. that he and his Party knew no Sins against the Gospel And indeed if the Gospel had no Precept there could be no Sin against it But the Apostles Paul and Peter tell us expresly that there is such a thing as not obeying the Gospel and that persons who obey it not shall be severely punished for their disobedience And if so then surely their disobeying the Gospel is a Sin against the Gospel whence it follows by necessary consequence that the Gospel hath some Precept which was to be demonstrated And if it be said that the Moral Law commands Obedience to the Gospel I answer be it so that is so far from weakening that it rather strengthens the Argument For if it command Obedience to the Gospel then it commands Obedience to the Precept of the Gospel for without the Gospels having some Precept there might indeed be Obedience to the Law in other things but there could be no Obedience to the Gospel at all nor could there be Obedience to the Law in that matter because upon that false supposition the Law should command a Chimerical impossibility which is absurd to affirm of the Just Law of the infinitely Wise God Therefore from the Moral Law its obliging us to obey the Gospel it necessarily follows that the Gospel hath some Precept to be obeyed A Fifth Testimony we have in Tit. 2.11 12. where it is written that The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world In this Scripture we are to observe two things 1. What is meant by the Grace of God which bringeth Salvation and which hath appeared unto all Men or which bringeth Salvation unto all Men and hath appeared And it is generally confessed to be objective Grace

so doth it likewise dispose the Soul for it by the free constitution of God who hath promised that blessedness to Holy Souls and were it not for God's promise in Christ the holyest Soul on Earth could have no infallible assurance of obtaining so great blessedness For notwithstanding that natural disposition arising from our Holyness God by his Soveraign Dominion might annihilate us if he had not obliged himself by promise in Christ to admit all Holy Souls to the Eternal Enjoyment of so great Happiness I hope my R. B. will not deny but that true Mortification is at least a part of that Holyness without which none shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 And yet it hath a conditional Connexion with the blessing of Eternal Life As is clear from Rom. 8.13 If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the Body ye shall Live Hence Dr. Ames writing against Cardinal Bellarmine who from Rom. 8.13 Argued that Mortification is a condition required of us in order to our obtaining Eternal Life He Answered him with a quis negat Which of us Protestants denieth that * Mortificatio igitur est conditio ad vitam quis negat Ames Bellar. enervat Tom. 4. lib. 6. cap. 6. de necessitate operum ad salutem ad object ex Rom. 8.13 Mortification then saith Bellarmine is a condition in order to Life Who saith Dr. Ames denies that Dr. Ames it seems knew no Divine in the reformed Churches who then denied Mortification to be a condition required of us in order to our obtaining Eternal Life but since that time Mr. Goodwin is come into the world and being a Man of another Spirit he doth stoutly deny it The Arguments on which he grounds his confident denial of conditional promises I have Examined and Answered And I refer it to those who shall be at the pains to compare his Arguments with my Answers to Judge whether there be one good solid Argument amongst them all And now I shall conclude my Animadversions on his seventh Chapter with a part of Mr. William Bradshaw's exposition of the 8th verse of the first Chapter of the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians This Bradshaw was a Learned Man and old Puritan and faithful Minister of Christ Several books on several subjects he published in his life time But this exposition on the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians was published after his Death by the Learned Gataker in the year 1620. And on the 8th verse of the 1 Chap. in pag. 49.50 51. c. He writes thus The second sort of persons that Christ will come in flaming fire to be avenged of are such as obey not the Gospel i. e. Such as will not accept of those conditions of salvation that are offered in the Gospel In the Gospel everlasting salvation is offered to all Sinners that will believe in Christ forsake their sins and yeild obedience to the ordinances of Jesus Christ set down in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles when therefore God shall out of his word convince our consciences that we are Sinners and have offended his Majesty by our sins and when God shall offer to be reconciled unto us to pardon and forgive our Sins to save our Souls from Hell yea to bestow everlasting happiness in Heaven upon us if so be we will forsake our sins acknowledge Christ Jesus for our Lord and Redeemer and be subject to his Discipline when God shall send to this end his Ministers Messengers and Ambassadors to offer unto us these conditions yea to intreat and beseech the acceptance of this Grace and yet we wil not accept of them we will not have Christ Jesus to Reign and Ru●e over us we will not whatsoever follow upon it forsake such and such sins but whether God will save or not save us we are resolved upon our own courses and if we may not be saved without any such conditions we will not be beholding to God for our salvation but will put it to the Adventure either to have it upon what conditions we our selves please or go without it This is to disobey the Gospel and to trample the blood of the New Testament under our feet This is directly to sin against Christ Jesus and therefore such of us can expect no other doom from Christ at that day but fearful vengeance For upon whom should he avenge himself if not upon them which cannot content themselves to have sinned against God and so to have provoked him but despise the means of his grace and favour when they are offered purposing still to continue in their sins whatsoever come of it This is the fearful sin of many that live in the Church of God and profess themselves Christians yea and that look to be saved by the blood of Christ who notwithstanding live and delight and so purpose to do in such sins as they know are forbidden in the Gospel They can be content yea they look for that salvation by Christ which is promised in the Gospel and that the Covenant on Christ's part should be performed unto them but they are resolved not to keep any Covenant on their own part And those for the most part that most disobey the Gospel and that shew most contempt to the Ministery and Dispensation thereof and are the greatest enemies that may be to the principal ordinance thereof do most presume of that salvation therein which is offered But let us know that it is not a naked profession of the Gospel or a bare belief that can pacify the wrath of this Judge in that day but it must be such a profession and belief as manifesteth it self in obedience unto the Gospel If it were possible for a Man as it is not truely to profess and unfeignedly believe the Gospel without obeying it yet that shall not save him He must obey it also The Gospel containeth not matter of Knowledge and Faith only but of practice also And so many as desire to be free from the vengeance and fury of this Judge had need in that regard to be acquainted with the Gospel and all the ordinances thereof For how can they obey that which they know not And they had need with all diligence and care to be Conversant in the reading and hearing of the Writings of the Evangelists and Apostles of Moses and the Prophets for they are they which testify of this Gospel and in them is fully and most clearly declared what manner of obedience is to be performed thereunto This Gospel is here called the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Ghrist It is not beloved our own Gospel which we Preach unto you and call you unto the obedience thereof but it is the Gospel of our Lord and our Saviour and That which we must submit and subject our selves unto if we look for salvation from him When the Gospel requireth any thing at your hands which shall any ways cross your corrupt desires you are presently

offended and incensed against us that are the poor Ministers thereof As if it were our own Gospel and the Law of our own will Which we propound unto you But know you this whosoever you are That it is Christ Jesus our Saviour that in our persons you are offended with all and against whom you Rebel In despising that Gospel we teach unto you Know you also that in your obedience and subjection to that Gospel which we Preach unto you you are not subject and obedient unto us but except you be reprobates unto your own Lord and Saviour who requireth onely this obedience at your hands tying the everlasting salvation of your Souls and the Merits of his passion thereunto To conclude this point then seeing that Christ will come in flaming fire to be avenged of them that shall not obey his Gospel let the terror of that fire make us run through water and fire rather than disobey the same Thus Bradshaw that Learned and Faithful Minister of Christ I wish that Mr. Goodwin and I may both of us believe and Live and Preach according to the import of that Text of Paul and this exposition of it by Mr. Bradshaw then shall we acknowledge the Gospel to be a Covenant or Law of Grace which hath precepts threatnings and conditional promises Which is the thing that I have proved and defended against the objections of some Brethren who tho they deny the Gospel to be a Law of Grace yet I hope do not live in disobedience to its precepts for tho the principles of many in the visible Church are better than their practice yet I must Charitably believe that the practice of these Brethren is better than their Principle Remarks and Animadversions on his 8th Chapter The eight Chapter of his Discourse is divided into two parts In the 1st he pretends to Answer the Texts of Scripture urged by me in the Apology And in the 2d to Answer the Testimonies of Fathers and Protestant Writers And accordingly I shall assign two Sections to my reply SECT I. IN the Contents of his eight Chapter he says in a Parenthesis that in the Apology I urged some Texts of Scripture As expresly giving the Name of a New Law to the Gospel This is a notorious falsehood And I challenge and defy him to shew any passage in the whole Apol. from beginning to end In which I say that any one Text of Scripture doth expresly give the Name of New Law to the Gospel I knew very well that there is not one Text of Scripture which doth expresly give the Name of New Law to the Gospel and therefore I never urged one Text to that purpose I said indeed in pag. 22. lin 16.17 That the Scriptures expressly call the Gospel-Covenant of Grace a Law but never said nor thought that the Scriptures do expressly call it a New-Law What I said of the Gospel's being called a New-Law was this that our Brethren should not be displeased with us because we call the Gospel a New-Law since they know if it be not their own fault Apol. p. 22. l. 41.42 43 44. That we call it the New-Law in no other sense than as we call the Covenant of Grace the New-Covenant From which words it is evident that I do not call the Gospel a New-Law because I think the Scripture calls it so expresly for I did not think any such thing but because I take the Gospel-Law for the Covenant of Grace which is expressly called the New-Covenant And I think that without offence we may call the Gospel-Law by the Name of a New-Law in the same and in no other sense than as we call the Covenant of Grace the New-Covenant For since in our Judgment the Gospel-Law and the Gospel-Covenant are the same thing and the Gospel-Covenant is expressly called the New-Covenant what just cause of offence can there be in calling the Gospel-Law the New-Law in the same sense that we call the Gospel-Covenant the New-Covenant And we are the more confirmed in this by finding that the most Ancient Fathers held the New-Law and the New-Covenant to be one and the same thing And they therefore called the Gospel-Law a New-Law because they found that the Scripture expressly calls the Gospel-Covenant a New-Covenant No Man can fairly and honestly deny this who reads and understands the Writings of Justin Martyr Ireneus Tertullian and Cyprian c. Who do all call the Gospel in its last fullest and clearest edition since the coming of Christ the New-Covenant and the New-Law as by two Names of the same Signification Yea it seems there was an old tradition even amongst the Jews that in the time of the Messias the Lord would make a New-Covenant with his People that is a New-Law I say it seems there was such a tradition amongst the Jews if we may believe what Paulus Fagius quotes out of their Writers For after he had cited their exposition of Canticles the 2d Chap. v. 10.11 12. Referring it to the time of the Messias he adds their descant on the words of the 12th verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render the time of the singing of Birds is come but they render the time of pruning is come The words are * Advenit enim tempus ut redimatur Israel Advenit tempus ut amputetur praeputium de quo dictum est Deut. 30. Chap. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et circumcidet dominus deus tuus cor tuum et cor seminis ad diligendum dominum deum tuum et lex convertetur ad novitatem et renovabitur Israel Sicut dictum est Hierem. 31. et scindam cum domo Israel et cum domo Juda pactum novum hactenus Traditio Paul Fagius in Annot in Caput 10. v. 16. Paraphrascos chald Onkeli in Deuteronomium For the time is come that Israel should be redeemed The time is come that the foreskin should be out off Concerning which it is written in Deut. 30. And the Lord thy God shall circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy Seed to Love the Lord thy God And the Law shall be changed into newness and Israel shall be renewed As it is said in Jerem. 31. And I will make with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah a New-Covenant That is a Now-Law Thus far the tradition And it had been well if they had never had a worse tradition My design in this is only to shew that since 1. The Scripture doth expressly call the Gospel a Law as is now confessed 2. Since the Gospel-Law is the Gospel-Covenant made with the Church through Christ 3. Since the Gospel-Covenant is expressly called the New-Covenant in Scripture It follows in the 4th place by good Consequence that without any just cause of offence we may very well call the Gospel-Covenant the New-Law in the same sense that we find it called in Scripture the New-Covenant even altho it be Not in Scripture expresly called the New-Law As it