Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	body_n	bread_n	cup_n	14,611	5	9.8387	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45132	An humble vindication of a free admission unto the Lords-Supper published for the ease, support, and satisfaction of tender consciences (otherwise remediles) in our mixt congregations / as it was delivered at two sermons upon the occasion of this solemnity in the weekely labours of John Humfrey.	Humfrey, John, 1621-1719.	1651 (1651)	Wing H3681; ESTC R28938	33,828	97

forth Free grace as Isa 55.1 Rev. 22.17 Mat. 11.28 1 Tim. 2.4 Io. 6.37 with the like tell me when the Gospel offers Christ or when Christ offers himself grace which are the things signified thus freely to poore ☞ Sinners how can we have the Conscience to turne them away from the Signes and meanes thereof in this Ordinance For my Reasons The first and chiefest I draw from the nature of the Sacraments The Sacraments are Verbum visibile a visible Gospell A declaring of Christ crucified A Memoriall of the Covenant made by his death that is ☞ The Sacraments set forth Christ to the eye as the Gospell does to the ear the same matter is presented in both only to divers senses and therefore the same latitude must be granted to them both in their administration Upon this ground me thinks I stand as upon a Rock against which all Objections like waves do but dash themselves in pieces Look into the 1 Cor. 11. we find Christ in the words of Institution ver 25. telling us The bread is his Body the Cup is the bloud of the New Testament and the whole action an ordinance in remembrance of him Now the Apostle comments on this in the 26 verse For as oft as you doe it you doe shew forth sayes he the death of the Lord whereby you see plainly what is his judgment of our Saviours Institution whatsoever you may thinke of it and that is to be a declaration shewing or holding forth his death or Covenant made by his death unto the Receivers This word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this annunciation or shewing forth is taken from the Jews Exo. 1● 26 27. who were to instruct and declare the matter to their children at the Passover so Christ is here shewed forth as the matter of the Sacrament set forth I may say of God Rom. 3.25 as a reconciliation through Faith in his bloud to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins alike in the Word and Sacrament You have a place may fully expresse this for us O ye Galathians Gal 3.2 before whom Christ hath bin set out as crucifyed among your This expression may be well applyed to the Sacraments which doe so shew forth Christs death that they describe him crucifyed unto the sight and set him out unto the eye that which the word declares him to the hearing Now if there be any to whom the matter of the Gospell may not be declared if there be any to whom we may not or cannot shew forth the death of Iesus Christ if there be any stand thus excluded from the Church that without her mitigation we may not tender to them the Covenant it is they and they alone can be debarred from the Sacrament To this end we know the Sacraments are counted Signes and Seales and Seal indeed as Signes now wherein is this but as they signify or represent the new Covenant to us ratified in the bloud of Christ Understand it thus A man covenants with a Landlord about a purchase for his children at such a price the price being paid the bargain is establisht This done he requires a writing wherein the whole agreement is expresly declared unto this writing the Lord puts to his Seale to witnesse the confirmation and so it is deliver'd for his posterity Iesus Christ does thus make a purchase for us his death is the price he layes down to God for it for conveyance of this purchase the writing that is drawne is the Gospell and the Séale put to this writing is the Sacrament both of which must goe to make the publick Instrument firm that is to testifie the vatification of it and so it is delivered for the use of the Church More fully thus A Prince by intercession of a Favourite sends forth a Proclamation of Grace to Rebels upon condition of laying downe their arms and coming in to him unto which he sets his own Seal for their assurance This Prociamation is the word of reconciliation preacht which runs conditionally to all The Seal annext is the Sacrament now can it be imagined there is any to whom the Proclamation belongs without the Seale Is not the Seal publick as the contents of it And so will it not be plain that as we offer the conditions thereof to any so likewise may we and must we the Seal upon their desire to confirm them to come in and submit unto them Thus we see the very nature of the Sacraments is as Seales to a Writing to be but necessary appendices of the Gospell To conclude this first reason then let me adde force to it briefly in these foure considerations 1. That we find that the Gospell is to be preached to every creature and a Baptizing them which on the same ground includes this Sacrament with it joyned as largely in the same Commission 2. That as the Gospell is to All so it offers Christ freely Now can any avouch that a poor Soule may take Christ freely without qualifications which is true in regard of any precedent merit so there be a present giving up himself to him sincerely as his ☞ Lord and Saviour and yet let none but such as are qualified to their mind be Admitted to receive him at the Sacraments Is Christ offered as a free gift in the Word and must we not come without our price and money to this Ordinance Why this is even as they conceive of Iudas who being about to sell our Saviour went out to make his bargaine at the Supper 3. That the Gospell-way is the best way to bring in Soules unto Christ Let a Man be fully convinced of the free grace of God in Christ his heart can stand it out no longer against his conversion Now when the word is preached the Covenant opened and the Seale too applyed this Message of reconciliation comes in its ful vertue for the working this conviction and faith unto Salvation 4. That the Gospell is a peaceable Gospell an Embassy of Peace now how shall this peace be kept if where it comes it goes to making separations at this Ordinance may a poor Soule say O Lord Iesus Christ though I cannot lay claim unto thee as a Saint Ican as a sinner I meane as a wounded sinner whom thou camest to save and shall none but Saints apparent be suffered to come unto him hither In a word is the Gospell peaceable converting free universall What is the Gospell but a declaring Christ Crucified and what is the Sacrament in the Matter and Contents of it but the very same if Paul can tell us what it is 1 Cor. 11.26 therefore there ought to be a free admission to it as to the Gospell † My second Reason I draw from the nature of the visible Church The visible Church is a number of such as make profession of Iesus Christ and so are Saints by calling whatsoever they are in truth the essentiall marks whereof whereby it subsists as visible is the Preaching of the Word

Faith Rep. But doe We not hereby make our selves one with the wicked with whom we joyne and can we have Communion with Christ and Beliall Answ We doe and must be one with all that joyn in the same profession that is we are one or one body as Members of the same visible Church in its outward capacity freely administring the Ordinances whereof we are to partake but we are not one with them in their evill courses wee disclame them wholly in the impiety of their conversation So that wee have communion herein onely with Christ and have noting to doe with Beliall For I would not have any so grosly think that a joyning with a wicked mans person is having communion with Beliall but accompanying him in his evill wayes Communio malorum non maculat Quēquam participatione Sacramentorum sayes Austine sed consentione factorum If the Corinthians were alive and you joyned with them in going to their Idols this were indeed a communion with Beliall but if you only joyn'd with them in comming to the Lords Table you should partake of Christ alone as the Godly of them then did and as we ought to doe I will go with the wickedst man alive to the Church but I must leave him at the Ale-house We may joyn with any to doe good as to worship God in his Ordinance but we cannot that is we may not joyne with any in the least evill we cannot serve God and the Devill But you will say further Doe wee not professe the wicked with whom we joyne not onely to be one of us but one of Christ and partakers of his death and how can we doe so I answer very well The visible Church is the Body of Christ As Christ said Every branch in me that beareth not fruit Io. 15.2 As Peter sayes There are some that deny the Lord that bought them 2. Pet. 2.1 As Paul sayes There are some that are sanctified with the bloud of the Covenant which they trample upon Heb. 10.29 with Heb. 2.9 2 Cor. 5.14 So say I of all ungodly professors They are such branches in Christ redeemed and sanctified in the same sense as the Scriptures mean in these places that is in regard of a visible esteem whereby they externally partake of the Ordinances of Christ and so are reckoned as Members of him Let such places be laid it little more to heart and when you have made the Orthodox interpretation the Question will be even done and we shall be no longer afraid of a free Admission when we must affirme that there is an historicall visible faith that gives an outward Church-right unto the Elements as a true saving Faith that gives interest to the effectual grace of the Sacraments Even as the branches have some union with the root that bring forth only Leaves though they partake not of that vitall Sap that sends forth fruit also Object 4. The seale is set to a Blanck if All be admitted Answ Unto this which hath troubled many I answer not presently by the distinction of an Outward and Inward an Absolute and Conditional sealing But I desire a right understanding of this Notion how the Sacrament is a Seale I have alwayes thought here lyes generally peoples mistake they take it to be a Seale unto their Faith and if there be no true faith it is set they think unto a blank and this breedes a miserable fear to whom it is deliver'd Let us know therefore that the Sacraments are not properly Seales unto our Faith how do we conceive Faith such a thing as must have Gods Seale put to it God doth not attest our Faith but the truth of his own promises But they are Seals properly of the Covenant A Covenant is a thing must be sealed and the maker is to attest it thereby Indeed they may be said to be Seales of our Faith as Divines speak consecutivè by a consequence of speech because as Seals confirme a thing so Faith is confirmed and strengthened by receiving but they are not Formaliter formally in a true proper sense Seales unto any thing but the Covenant or representations of the effectuall Seal the blood of Christ by which it being ratified with God the Lord declares it by the Gospell unto the administration whereof the Sacaments are set to signifie the undoubted truth of it as Seales we say and Signes shewing us As the bread and wine is broken powred out and offer'd with the other actions so surely hath Christs body bin broken his bloud shed that all that believe in him according to this Covenant should have grace and salvation by him The expression is borrowed from Row 4.11 where Circumcision is said a Seale not simply of Abrahams Faith but of the righteousnesse of his Faith or of righteousnesse I take it through Faith Phil 3.9 that he should be the Father of them that believe which thing sealed to is the very tenor of the Covenant Now let Circumcision be received on Isaac the Child of promise or on Ishmael that must be cast out it is the same Seal of Abrahams Covenant Let the Sacrament be offer'd to the Godly or to the Hypocrite it is the same Seale of God declaring the truth of his Covenant which stands most sure and all the unbelief in the World cannot make it of no effect Even as a Proclamation of pardon as we instanced before unto Rebels comes with the Broad Seale to those that refuse it and yet it is no lesse a true Seale and set to a true writing than if they did all come in and embrace it so that if it want its due effect on the Receiver it may be said if you will to be set upon a Blank where Seales are set but not to a Blank seeing the Lord hath set it to the truth of his Word or grace of his Gospell Rep. But were it not absurd for a man to set his seal when there hath been no agreement and transactions before So do unregenerate men who come to the Sacrament without that solemne giving up the Soule to God as be ought who enters Covenant with him Answ I grant with sorrow there are too many of us come absurdly and but wickedly when wee forget to doe that we ought The Lord forgive us but though in the reciprocall action as it is to be a seal as is said of mans part the receiver fails in his solemne mutuall engagements according to the Covenant whereof he is to repent yet as for the Minister or Church who offer it as a seal on Gods part there is a true seale to a true Copy and nothing out of Order The Sacraments therefore may be considered in their nature and in their use In their nature I take them to be Gods seals only as primarily signifying his grace and shewing forth Christ though in the use and effect they are to be mans too as secondarily he is reciprocally to believe and engage himself unto God Sacramenta nostra accipimus ex