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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A74993	Certain select discourses on those most important subjects, requisite to be well understood by a catechist in laying the foundation of Christian knowledge in the minds of novitiates viz., First discourses on I. The doctrine of the two covenants both legal and evangelical, II. On faith and justification / by William Allen. Secondly, Discourses on I. The covenant of grace, or baptismal covenant, being chatechetical lectures on the preliminary questions and answers of the Church-Catechism : II. Three catechetical lectures on faith and justification / by Thomas Bray, D.D.	Allen, William, d. 1686.; Bray, Thomas, 1658-1730.	1699 (1699)	Wing A1055A; ESTC R172154	614,412	564

Pray that he would Sanctifie our Vnderstandings that being transform'd by the renewing of our Minds we may be able to have a Spiritual discerning of the things of God being wise to that which is good but simple and harmless to that which is Evil. Let us therefore Pray that he would Sanctifie and Reform our Wills that we may in every thing submit them unto his delighting to do his Will Not seeking our own Will but the Will of him that sent us And let us therefore Pray that he would Sanctifie and Circumcise our Hearts that we may set our Affections on things above and not on Earthly Matters Farther yet Let us therefore particularly pray that having Sanctify'd us throughly in our Understandings Wills and Affections he would enable us to perform each of the Conditions of our Covenant That he would strengthen our Faith and enable us to hold the Profession of our Faith without wavering that he would grant unto us Repentance That no longer spending the rest of our Time in the Flesh to the Lusts of Men but to the Will of God the time past of our Lives may suffice to have served divers Lusts and that for the future we may walk as Obedient Children not fashioning our selves according to the former Lusts in our Ignorance but as he who hath called us is Holy so we may be Holy in all manner of Conversation And Lastly Let us pray unto him to give us his Grace that we may thus continue and persevere in Repentance Faith and Obedience unto our Lives end that being stedfast and unmovable always abounding in the Work of the Lord we may patiently continme in well-doing without weariness as knowing that in due time we shall reap if we faint not which that we may do God Almighty grant of his infinite Mercy through Jesus Christ our Lord to whom and the Holy Ghost be ascribed all Might Majesty and Dominion both now and for evermore Amen THE XXX Lecture VVherein I was made IN several foregoing Lectures upon the Words of the Catechism having explained all that I suppose necessary to be known by you concerning the general Nature and Substance of the Covenant of Grace the Solemnity whereby you entred into it the Obligations upon you to perform it and the Means whereby you shall be enabled to discharge it I come now to do the like as to those Circumstances relating to your entrance into it and requisite also to be consider'd by you These Circumstances are Two First The Time when Secondly The Persons by whom as by Proxies you were Initiated into the Covenant of Grace I. I will consider the Time when which because it was as to most of you in your Infancy as is imply'd in these words Wherein I was made a Time thought unseasonable by some Persons for so grand an Undertaking therefore I will endeavour to Justifie the having been admitted into the Covenant of Grace by Baptism in the time of your Infancy This I say is what these words Wherein I was made do signifie to us viz. That it was sometime heretofore that you were Baptized and entred into Covenant with God which was you know as to the Children of most Believers in the Age of Infancy And now I will justifie the thing the being admitted into the Covenant of Grace by Baptism If the Children of Believing Parents even at such an Age. Children of Believing Parents have a right to be Baptized prov'd from 1 Cor. 7.14 I say If the Children of Believing Parents for that such have a greater Priviledge than others and with reference to this very particular of being Baptized and ●onfederated with God may be very fairly gathered from that of St. Paul 1 Cor. 7.14 For the Vnbelieving Husband is Sanctify'd by the Wife and the Vnbelieving Wife is Sanctify'd by the Husband else were your Children unclean but now are they Holy for the understanding which difficult place we must consider the occasion of the Words and the import of this Expression Else were your Children unclean but now are they Holy Now the occasion of the Words was a Question propounded to the Apostle Whether a Believing Wife or Husband ought to dwell with an Unbeliever which the Apostle resolves that either of 'em might and uses this Argument for it That the Unbeliever may by the Conversation and Perswasion of his Wife in time be Sanctify'd and Converted himself to Christianity however if he be not his Children on the account of the Mother being a Christian are not Vnclean but Holy for the understanding of which Expression it is to be consider'd that there is a twofold Holiness ascribed to Persons in the New Testament to omit some other Acceptations in the Old First There is a Spiritual and Inherent Holiness which is a necessary Qualification to make us capable of Happiness in the Life to come and Members of the Church Triumphant in Heaven according to that of St. Paul Without Holiness no Man shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 Secondly There is a Relative and outward or Privilegial Holiness upon the account of Persons being seperated from the rest of the World to the pure and Holy Service of a pure and Holy God such as is the Holiness of all the Members of the Church Militant here on Earth those I mean who are called into the Covenant of Grace as you may see 1 Pet. 2.9 where speaking to the whole Catholick Church of Christians as Christians he calls 'em a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood a Holy Nation a peculiar People A Holy Nation do ye see he calls 'em which was spoke on the account of that Holy Profession they were Baptized into tho' all of 'em in their own Persons were not Inherently Holy no more than all that are called to the Profession of the Gospel are chosen to the Salvation of it So that by these Expressions Else were your Children Vnclean but now are they Holy must be meant a Relative and Privilegial Holiness they have by being descended from a Christian Parent whereby they are capable of being Members of the Catholick Church that Holy Nation meant in St. Peter capable I say of being made so by Baptism the only Door of entrance into it And if the Children even of one Believing Parent are thus Relatively and Privilegially Holy by being within the Covenant or capable of being took into it by Baptism on the account of having one Christian Parent much more should the Children of those be so accounted both of whose Parents are Christians Possibly one reason wherefore the Child of one Christian Parent is thus Holy as to be reputed capable to be a Covenanted Member of Christ's Church is because it may be fairly presum'd the Christian Parents Zeal for God's Glory will make He or She train up that Child to the Knowledge and Belief and Service of the One True God Father Son and Holy Ghost And if it may be fairly presum'd that where there is but one Christian

Deliver and Bless them that turned to him to serve him only Which seems to be his meaning when he saith he will be sanctified before the Heathen when he should gather them from among the people where they were Captives and that the Heathen should know that he was the the Lord Ezek. 20.41 and 36 23. And by this means he brought them to fear and worship the God of Israel Psal 102.13 15. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion So the Heathen shall fear the Name of the Lord and all the Kings of the Earth thy glory When the Lord turned again the Captivity of Sion they said among the Heathen The Lord hath done great things for them Psal 126.1 2. 6. The whole Law was given to be a Political Instrument of Governing the Israelites according to that state of their minority as a peculiar Republick of which God himself was the Soveraign Legislator But of this more afterward CHAP. III. Shewing by what Faith and Practice the Jews under the Law were Saved I Come now to shew by what Faith and Practice the Jews under the Law were Saved And doubtless whatever it was it became available to that end upon the account of what Christ was to suffer when he should come For as I shewed before that God's Covenant with Abraham and his Seed by virtue of which the Faithful then were saved was confirmed in Christ was established with them in reference to what he was to do and suffer as Mediator afterwards Gal. 3.17 And by means of his Death there was Redemption for the transgressions that were under the first Testament Heb. 9.15 And the Sacrifices and Priesthood were a Figure for the time then present of what Christ should afterwards do and suffer and for what end But when I say so I do not say that all that were Saved did understand so much For we see the Apostles of Christ though they did believe him to be the Messias which the Jews expected yet they did not understand or expect that he should suffer Death as a Sacrifice till he told them so Nay the thing was so far from their thoughts as that they did not understand him when he plainly foretold them of his Death Luke 18.32 And if the Doctrine touching the resemblance that is between the Priesthood of Melchizedech and the Priesthood of Christ was not in the Apostles sense Meat which Babes in Christianity could well digest in their Understandings but was Meat for strong Men Heb. 5.10 14. we may well guess by that how little the Jews understood the Typical and Spiritual sense of those Types about which they were frequently conversant and therefore it 's said that the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John the Baptist though he was so great that there was none greater before him Hence we may see that one reason why those Jews were all their life-time under a Spirit of Bondage to fear was the great Obscurity of the Declaration of God's purpose of Grace to the World through Christ and the Way and Method of Salvation by him Moses was but a servant for a Testimony of those things which were after to be spoken and so declared afterwards as that the Typical meaning of them might be understood Heb. 3.5 In the mean while as touching those things they were shut up unto the Faith which should afterwards be revealed Gal. 3.23 It is said of the Prophets whereof Moses was one that not unto themselves but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto us by them that have preached the Gospel to us 1 Pet. 1.12 Add we to all this Heb. 9.8 where having spoken in ver 7. of the High Priests entering alone into the Holy of Holies with the Blood of the Sacrifice in behalf of the People once every Year he saith The Holy Ghost this signifying that the way into the Holiest of all was not yet made manifest while as the first Tabernacle was yet standing By the Holiest of all here is meant Heaven signified of old by the Holy of Holies as appears ver 12 24. And the plain meaning seems to be this That the peoples entring into Heaven by the Sacrifice and Blood and Intercession of Christ was not made manifest while the Tabernacle-worship continued For Christ is our Way into Heaven to the place within the Veil by his Blood shed as a Sacrifice Heb. 10.19 20. Having therefore Brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the Veil that is to say his Flesh But this Way he tells us was not made manifest while the first Tabernacle was standing But as obscure as this way was as to what was to be done and suffered in particular by the Messias yet they had some general grounds of Faith and Hope That upon their Faith Repentance and sedulous Endeavours to walk in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord they should obtain remission of their sins and a future Happiness in another World Among which gounds these were not the least 1. They had the knowledge of the Promise of Blessedness to all Nations in Abraham's Seed and of the Promise of those other Benefits which were promised to Abraham and his Seed 2. They had an addition of several other Predictions concerning the Messias both by Moses and other Prophets that perhaps were somewhat more express such as in Deut. 18.16 Isa 53. Dan. 9. and others These Promises and Predictions put them in great expectations of Special Benefits by the Messias and wrought in them a longing after his Day Upon which account our Saviour said to his Disciples Blessed are your Eyes for they see and your Ears for they hear For I say unto you that many Prophets and Kings and Righteous Men have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen them and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them Mat. 13.16 17. Luke 10.23 24. 3. They had large significations from God of his special Favour to them above all people as in chusing them to be his peculiar People and in declaring himself to be their God in giving visible signs of his Presence among them and excellent Laws and Promises to them and sending his Prophets amongst them and working many Wonders for them and casting out the Nations before them to make room for them and the like Deut. 7.6 7 8. and 26.18 19. Psal 147.19 20. Rom. 9.4 5. 4. They had express Declaration from God of the Goodness of his Nature and of his Compassion towards Sinners and of his readiness to Pardon such as should Repent and return to their Duty in loving him and keeping his Commandments As for instance Exod. 34.6 7. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed The Lord The Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and

Leaning and Rolling themselves upon the Promises of Christ for Salvation But for any to expect to be Justify'd and Accepted by God without forsaking their evil Ways and without working out also their own Salvation with fear and trembling that is without being extreamly careful themselves to be Obedient to God's most Holy Laws is gross Hypocrisie and will miserably deceive us Hypocrisie is with vain Shews and Pretences to deceive our selves or others and to be only Hearers or Believers of the Word and not Doers is to deceive our selves St. James tells us 1. 22. And a greater than he even our Blessed Saviour himself hath assured us Mat. 7.21 That not everyone who saith unto him Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of his Father which is in Heaven And as for the Pretence they have to live securely in unrepented Habits of Sin that the Grace and Mercy of Christ is more Magnify'd the greater Sinners they are I answer That the greater Sinners they have been the greater is the Mercy which Forgives 'em when they do repent according to that of the Apostle Rom. 5.20 21. Where Sin abounded Grace did much more abound that as Sin hath reigned unto Death even so might Grace reign through Jesus Christ our Lord. But to make the Magnifying of God's Grace a Reason for Security whilst Men continue in Sin this indeed was a false Conclusion that some in the First Times as well as now were apt to draw from St. Paul's Doctrine of Justification but which that Great Apostle rejected with the utmost Indignation and Abhorrence in the next Chapter v. 1 2. What shall we say then Shall we continue in Sin that Grace may abound God forbid How shall we that are dead to Sin live any longer therein No sure the Doctrine of Christianity tho' it lays aside the Original Law of Righteousness and the Law of Moses from being either of 'em a Rule of Righteousness in conforming to which we shall be Justify'd yet this Doctrine most strictly obliges us to a sincere Reformation from all former Sins and to a Newness of Life as the indispensible Condition of being Justify'd by God Nor is there the least occasion given us by this Doctrine to value our selves upon our own Righteous Performances when it is only of Grace that we are able to do any thing which is good and the Acceptance of the Good we do is owing to the Mediation of Christ who obtained such Gracious Terms and Conditions of Justification for us Which Considerations as I have already made appear do sufficiently shew that we are Justify'd freely by God's Grace in Christ and do exclude all Grounds and Occasion of Boasting A summary account of justifying Faith In a word and to conclude this whole Point the only Faith or Belief that will Justifie and Save us must be such a full Perswasion of the Truth of Christianity and all its Great Doctrines those I mean which are in a peculiar manner call'd the Articles of our Christian Faith it must be such a through Perswasion I say of those great and powerful Truths as will purifie us in Heart and Life and will effectually excite us to live up to the Rules of Christianity and make us sincerely and heartily to Obey God in all his most Holy and Righteous Laws And it must be such withal as will cause us to depend solely upon God's Mercies in Christ for the Acceptance of our imperfect Righteousness to our Justification And all those kinds of Faith call 'em what you will which are barren of unfruitful in Good Works or if they stir us up to encounter some Difficulties do not bear us up under all Temptations nor enable us to perform the more difficult Instances of Christian Duty and Obedience those which are most contrary to our Lusts and Interests as well as the more easie which are agreeable to our Profit or Pleasure The Faith that is not powerful enough to carry us through all Temptations is defective to the great Purposes of Justifying and Saving us The necessity of our often incalculating such a Faith And moreover I must acquaint you that the necessity of a working Faith to that end as it is the great Doctrine of Christianity so it ought to be throughly explain'd and often insisted upon by us Ministers of the Gospel for fear of People's Mistakes in this matter which will be most dangerous to their Souls And accordingly St. Paul lays a solemn Charge upon us Tit. 3.8 that we should in the same manner I have already done explain and inculcate the Doctrine of Faith unto you This is a faithful Saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have Believed in God might be careful to maintain Good Works for these things or these Doctrines are profitable unto Men. THE XXXI Lecture I Believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth I Have already shew'd you what it is to Believe that our Faith must be such as rectifies and renews our Corrupt Nature as moves us to the performance of the most difficult Instances of Christian Duty and such as after all causes us to relie solely upon the Mercies of God in Christ for the Acceptance of our imperfect Obedience to our Justification And now by the Divine Assistance I shall proceed to explain unto you all those sacred Truths contain'd in your Creed which are of such mighty Importance And there are not a few such powerful and practical Truths imply'd in this one Article I Believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth Towards the full Explication of which that it may effectually work a blessed Change both in our Hearts and Lives I will do these Things I. I will in some measure declare unto you the Nature and Infinite Perfections of that Divine Being which we call God I Believe in God II. I will prove to you that this Infinitely perfect Being out of his Infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness made the Heaven and the Earth and all Things both Visible and Invisible therein contain'd Maker of Heaven and Earth III. I will explain and prove that this same God who made the Heaven and the Earth does now exercise a most Wise Just and Good Providence over it and every thing therein contain'd which is the Importance of the Word Almighty in this Article as shall be shew'd hereafter IV. I might here demonstrate to you that there is but one God for so the Nicene Creed which is but a Paraphrase upon this does teach us I Believe in one God And Lastly that in the Vnity of the Godhead there is a Trinity of Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost I Believe in God the Father And the other two Persons are also mention'd in their proper place But because I would be as little guilty as possible in this Exposition of repeating hereafter what I have said before I shall referr the Doctrine of