Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	accept_v	covenant_n	zion_n	24	3	9.5650	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77360	Christ and the covenant the work and way of meditation. : Gods return to the soul, or nation; together with his preventing mercy. : Delivered in ten sermons, (viz.) 1. Christs personal excellencies, the object of our love. 2. Christ crucified, the object of our faith. 3. The new covenant of grace opened. 4. Christ the mediator of the new covenant. 5. The way and spirit of the new covenant, or New Testament. 6. The blood of sprinkling. 7. The sweetness and profitableness of divine meditation. 8. The work and way of this meditation. 9. Gods return to the soul and nation. 10. Preventing mercy. / By W.B.	Bridge, William, 1600?-1670.	1667 (1667)	Wing B4449A; ESTC R225773	165,221	279

of promise O my Lord my goodness is no● for thee but for the Saints that are in the earth an● the excellent in whom is all my delight And so ou● Saviour Christ promises to the Father in the 17. o● John Therefore do I sanctifie my self That the● also may be sanctified And if you look into the Hebrews you shall find that Christ is called the Surety of the Covenant Why because he doth ingage for God the Father to perform to us and he doth ingage for us that we shall perform to God So that do you aske what the Covenant is plainly then it is That mutual agreement between God an● man whereby God the Father doth ingage himself to shew kindness love and mercy to Christ and his Seed Christ ingaging both for himself and for his Seed to be obedient unto God the Father 2. But then secondly why is this Covenant called a New Covenant Not only because it is an excellent Covenant as in Scripture phrase excellent things are called New a New Song c. Nor onely because it brings a new heart which is promised in the Covenant Nor onely because it is alwayes fresh and green and new upon which account Austin thinks that the commandment of Love is called a New Commandment Nor is it called New onely because there is no other Covenant to succeed and follow which is the reason in the 8th of Heb. But it is called a New Covenant in opposition to the Covenant that was made with Adam and with us in the state of innocency and in opposition to the Covenant which was made with the Jews in the time of the Old Testament First New in opposition to the Covenant that was made with Adam in the state of innocency for then though God out of free love and grace was pleased to condescend to enter into Covenant with man yet then God did deal with us in a way of Supremacy and of Righteousness and therefore there is mention made onely of the Threatning In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye the death But now God deals with us in this Covenant in a way of grace and of great compassion and therefore in this Covenant there is mention made onely of the Promise Again 2. Though God did enter into Covenant with Adam and so with us and promised eternal life in Heaven not eternal life in this World onely as some would For Hell was threatned in these words In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye the death and therefore Heaven and Salvation was promised on the contrary yet I say although God when he entered into Covenant with us then did promise Heaven and Salvation it was upon condition of our personal and perfect obedience and therefore called a Covenant of works But now our Covenant runs upon no such terms 3. Then in that Covenant acceptation began in the Work and so to the Person and therefore saith the Lord to Cain If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted speaking to him as belonging to the Covenant of works But in the Covenant now made the acceptation begins in the Person and so to the Work and therefore saith the Lord concerning Abel the Lord accepted Abel his Person and then his Sacrifice 4. Then also the Lord gave Adam and us an● ability to stand but he did not give a promise of perseverance in standing But now the Lord doth I will put my fear into your hearts that you shall not depart from me saith the Lord. 5. Then in that Covenant there was no room for repentance no room for remission But as in a Court of meer Justice the Question is not whether a man doth repent of his Fact or no but whether I or No hath such a Fact been done So by the Covenant of works the first Covenant there is no Question whether a man doth repent or no But whether the work were done whether the sin were done But now in this Covenant there is room both for repentance and for remission as by and by you shall hear And then 6. Though when God made that Covenant with Adam and with us the tree of Life might be some shaddow of Christ yet then there was no Mediator for there was no need God and Man was not at variance and so no need of a Mediator But in this Covenant that is now stricken there is a Mediator a Mediator of the New Covenant So that thus you see this Covenant is New in opposition to the Covenant that was made with Adam and us in the state of innocency And Secondly As it is New in opposition to the Covenant that was made with Adam the Covenant of works so it is new also in opposition to the Covenant that was made with the Jews in the time of the Old Testament For the clearing of this First of all we must inquire whether there be any difference between the Covenant made with the Jews in the day of the Old Testament and the Covenant made with us now and in case there be what is the difference and wherein it lyes And first If you ask whether there be any difference If I should answer with Divines ordinarily wherein they speak the truth I must say that the Covenant which God made with the Jews was for substance the same though different in administration but give me leave to express my own sense in my own terms thus 1. It is plain and clear that the Jews that were saved in the time of the Old Testament were saved by the same Covenant that we now are saved by for they were saved by the Covenant that God made with Abraham so are we Luke 11. Rom. 4. Gal. 3. Circumcision then was the Seal of the Covenant and what was Circumcision but a seal of the Righteousness of Faith The Ceremonies Types and Sacrifices did not belong to the Covenant of works they were Types of Christ and therefore it must needs be the same Covenant for it was a Covenant of works that was made with the Jews God should have brought them from better to worse for the Covenant of Grace was made with Abraham but though the Law was added after the Promise it could not disanul the Promise saith the Apostle in the 3. of Gal. So that its plain and clea● the Jews that were then saved were saved by th● same Covenant that we now are But 2. Though those Jews that were saved wer● saved by the same Covenant that we now are saved by yet notwithstanding the Covenant o● works was declared and promulged among th● Jews Wherefore then was the Law added saith th● Apostle Added then it was As Sarah and Hagar made types of the two Testaments by the Apostle Were at once in Abrahams house So the Old Covenant of Works and the New Covenant of Grace wer● at once in the Jewish Church But 3. Though both these Covenants were at onc● in the Jewish Church the one declared and the other made with them though

Child yet he did not pray for a Child for he could not believe that he should have a Child so that God gave him a Child in a way of preventing mercy and yet it was in answer of prayer too So here in the Text Thou hast given him his hearts desire and hast not with-holden the request of his lips for thou hast prevented him with the blessings of thy goodness Why why although the mercy received may be an answer of prayer in regard of the body of it yet it may come in a way of preventing love as to the moreness of it so it was with David so with Hezekiah and so with Zacharias That 's a fourth thing God doth sometimes prevent as in reference to our prayer giving in mercy beyond all our prayers 5. And then fifthly As God doth prevent us in reference to our prayers so in reference to our believing thoughts or expectances When the Lord turned the Captivity of Zion we were like them that dreamed why were we as them that dreamed Why truly we never looked for it nor expected it we did not think on it it was beyond all our expectations Thus God doth prevent us sometimes in reference to our expectances to our faith and to our thoughts 6. As he thus prevents us with his mercy in reference to our thoughts and faith and expectance so in reference to his own promises and the conditions thereof if I promise a man a kindness upon a condition and do that kindness for him when he hath not performed the condition then I prevent him with kindness Now the Lord hath promised many a mercy upon a condition and yet given the mercy when we have not performed the condition I said sayes David I would confess my sin and thou Lord forgavest my iniquity Lord thou hast made a promise of forgiveness upon condition of our confession and humiliation I did not go so far I did but say I would confess my sin and thou prevented'st me with thy forgiving Love Thus now you see how and in what respects God doth prevent us with his mercy he doth prevent us with his mercy in reference to our deservings in reference to his own proceedings of Common Providence in reference to all our Prayers in reference to our Faith and Expectance in reference to our Preparedness and in reference to his own Promises and the conditions thereof That 's the Second III. Well but then thirdly what are those choice blessings wherewith God will prevent his people What not But the greater the blessing is the more it is steeped in Preventing Love There are outward blessings and there are inward blessings there are temporal blessings and there are eternal blessings Now though the preventing love of God doth shine forth in all yet the greater the blessing or the mercy is the more it is irradiated with the beams of preventing Love Will ye instance 1. First Will ye instance in the great matter of our Redemption What greater mercy or blessing then our Redemption in and by Jesus Christ that 's of Grace in whom we have Redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our sins according to the riches of his Grace And when Christ came into the World in reference to our Redemption to take our Nature upon him do but see what a pack of wicked men were then extant upon the ground in the Luke 3.1 Now in the fifteenth year of the Reign of Tiberius Caesar there s one Pontius Pilate being Governour of Judea there 's another and Herod being Tetrarch of Galilee there 's another and his Brother Philip Tetrarch of Iturea Annas and Caiphas being High-Priests the Word of God came unto John the Son of Zacharias in the Wilderness And why was Christ born in such a time as this and among such Company but all to shew that the work of our Redemption was to be carried on in a way of Preventing Love 2. Or will ye instance in the matter of our Conversion What greater mercy or blessing then our Conversion yet look into the 33 of Job and you shall see how that Mercy comes swimming down the stream of preventing Love God speaketh once yea twice and yet man perceiveth it not What then In a dream in a vision of the night when deep sleep falleth upon men in slumbrings upon the bed then he openeth the ears of men and sealeth their instruction 3. Or will ye instance in the matter of our Justification What greater mercy or blessing then that of our Justification Yet this also comes swimming down the stream of preventing Love for he justifies the ungodly And in the 4th of the Romans it is said of Abraham that he was justified not yet circumcised for we say that faith was reckoned to him for righteousness vers 9. How was it then reckoned When he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision not in circumcision but in uncircumcision Why why not in circumcision but in his uncircumcision but to shew that this mercy of Justification must be carryed on in a way of preventing Love 4. Or will ye instance in the matter of our Sanctification What greater mercy then to be truly sanctified Yet this also comes swimming down the stream of preventing Love I will wash ye with clean water Such and such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified in the Name of the Lord. This also in a way of preventing Love 5. Will ye instance in the matter of Consolation What greater mercy t●en for a poore drooping soul to be truly comforted This also comes in a way of preventing Love e're ever I was aware before I was aware saith the Spouse My Soul was as the Charets of Aminadab I was unwilling to receive the Promise my Soul refused to be comforted but e're ever I was aware my Soul was as the Charets of a willing people of Aminadab that is of a willing people When Christ was dead how sad was Mary Christ did but come unto her and say Mary and she was comforted 6. Will ye instance in the Revelation of the truths of the times What greater blessing then for a man to be well acquainted with the truth of the times in opposition to Antichrist Now sayes John in the 1 of Revel when these truths were given out I heard a voice behind me before I was aware God prevented me acquainting me with these truths of the Revelations 7. Or will ye instance in outward blessings or mercies then I 'le appeal to you In the great turnings of your lives hath not God prevented you with his blessings It is true we are to trade in a way of Prayer to gain outward blessings and mercies but I say when ever did you meet with any great turn of your life but it was cast by preventing Love before Prayer came in So that do ye ask what are those choise blessings wherewith God will prevent his people You see here what they are So I have done with the third thing

sense thereof The more necessary and useful any mercy is the more we are engaged to think thereon Some mercies are more necessary and some less necessary Those mercies and blessings we put God upon the giving of with our own desires we may suspect are less necessary but those that God gives us in a way of preventing love we may think them most necessary This is the w●y of preventing love surely therefore we are ingaged to think much thereon thus ye become Gods Darlings by his preventing love The World hath its Darlings such a one lyes long in bed takes little pains yet the World flows in upon him the World prevents him he is the Worlds Darling another man is up early and late takes a great deal of pains and yet is Poor but here 's a man do what he will yet he grows Rich for he is the Worlds Darling So now you have blessing upon blessing and in a way of prevention What doth this argue but that you are Gods Darlings And will you not think much of this O think much thereon 2. If you have tasted of this preventing love and mercy go away and be very thankfull to God upon this account Shall David be thankfull to the Lord for preventing him taking him from the Sheep-fold and will not you be thankfull for preventing mercy Shall Ruth be thankfull to Boaz for preventing her with his Kindness spreading his skirt over her and will not you be thankfull to the Lord for his preventing love to you Why should ye not all say with David here He hath prevented me with the blessings of his goodness Indeed I was a great sinner but he hath prevented me with his Justifying Mercy and I was a wandring creature as a lost sheep but he hath prevented me with his Redeeming Mercy Gpd spake once and twice unto me and I heard it not but in the deep sleep of my soul then did he open mine ears and seal instruction on me before I was aware therefore all that is within me blesse the Lord. O you that are thus prevented blesse the Lord for this his preventing mercy his sweet mercy 3. But thirdly If you have tasted of Gods preventing mercy and have indeed been prevented with the blessings of his goodness even your very prayers have been prevented with the blessings of his goodness Why then should ye not be early up and sooner at your prayers that if it may be you may prevent Gods mercy with your prayers as God hath prevented your prayers with his mercy When a Master comes into the Chamber where his Servant lyes and finds him in bed what sayes the Servant if he be ingenious This my Masters coming into my bed-chamber before I was up is a plain rebuke to my sloth I will be up the sooner hereafter So sayes a gracious ingenious soul Gods preventing my prayer with his mercy is a plaine rebuke to my prayer wherefore awake prayer up prayer through the grace of God I will never be so tardy again with my Prayer and Duty but as God hath prevented my prayer with his mercy so through grace I will prevent his mercy with my prayer for the time to come 4. If you have tasted of Gods preventing mercy and God hath indeed prevented you with the blessings of his goodness why then should ye not all labour to be like unto God in your dealings with men preventing them with your loving kindness You think it a great matter to forgive a man that hath injured you upon acknowledging of his fault but God prevents us with his forgiveness before we acknowledge and be humbled therefore why should you not labour to be like to God therein If a man hath done you a wrong or injury do not stand upon it to have his acknowledgement but say I will be like to God God prevents me with his love before my acknowledgement therefore through Grace I will prevent this man with my kindness before his acknowledgement I will forgive him Thus labour to be like unto God in all your dealings with men 5. But Fifthly and Lastly If you have tasted of this preventing love and God hath indeed prevented you with the blessings of his goodness why then why should ye not trust in the Lord for ever Whatsoever your condition be trust in the Lord and believe for ever now for your souls for your bodies Some there are that doubt of their Salvation of the salvation of their Souls Ah sayes one I am afraid I shall not be saved because my prayer cannot be accepted But will the Lord be found of those that seek him not and will he not be found of you that seek him Though your prayers are poor prayers Ah sayes another I am afraid the Lord will not receive me when I come to him he will not receive me No But if the Lord comes to us first and makes a tender and offer of his Grace to us if he seeks us will he not receive them think you that seek him Surely he will Some there are that doubt in reference to their outward condition and say they shall want Provision shall want Estates to maintain them but hath the Lord prevented you with his mercy in the great turns of your life why then should you not trust in the Lord though you see no means at all how you should be supplyed Heretofore God hath prevented you with his mercies and why should you not say God hath prevented me heretofore therefore now I 'le trust in him though I see no means of supply Whatsoever your condition be trust in the Lord now upon this account and believe believe Let me say this to you Would you believe Do you desire to believe Yes I desire to believe do ye Then let your eye be fixed upon Gods preventing love What is the reason that men do not believe but because their eyes are fixed no more stedily upon preventing love The more you know God is willing to help you the more you will believe I believe that you will say Now I pray then tell me Suppose a man comes to a Beggar and before the Beggar asks the man gives him money will not the Beggar conclude that this man was willing to relieve him Yes Thus now it is we beg and we beg but it is as no begging then comes the Lord and prevents us with his mercy will you not say the Lord is willing to shew mercy Surely he is Now therefore seeing God is thus willing to shew mercy O then believe you that have gone doubting and fearing and trembling all your dayes for shame now believe Have you tasted of Gods preventing mercy time after time in the matter of your Justification in the matter of your Sanctification in the matter of your Consolation and in reference to your outward Concernments O trust in the Lord for ever upon this account and magnifie the freeness of his Grace Now go away and say through free Grace I 'le doubt no more Upon all occasions trust in the Lord O you that have been made partakers of preventing mercy FINIS