Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	faith_n	grace_n	justification_n	2,638	5	9.1538	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93239	Infant-baptism and church-membership proved: and also the mode of baptism to be by sprinkling &c. In answer to Mr. Benjamin Dennie's book. By Giles Shute of Limehouse.	Shute, Giles, b. 1650 or 51.	1695 (1695)	Wing S3708; ESTC R231568	45,328	72

of the filth of the flesh that is external holiness but the answer of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ There is Internal Grace and Holiness Temporal salvation and deliverances are not a sure sign of Eternal salvation nor external purification or putting away the filth of the flesh without inward heart-purification by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ of which Noah's preservation was a true Type or sign and Water-baptism is no more 6. What analogy is there between Noah's preservation and dipping in baptism for the Text saith plainly that baptism maketh the like figure unto it To which I answer in the negative There is none at all it is altogether incongruous all that can be said of it is this namely It makes a true figure of Gods Wrath on the old drowned World for they were all immersed and destroyed 7. And lastly What analogy or congruity is there between Noah's preservation and sprinkling in baptism To which I answer in the affirmative There is a sweet harmonious Agreement between them for sprinkling in baptism is the like figure 1. As Noah's Preservation and his Family was a Mark and Token of Gods distinguishing Love and Grace unto them above all the rest of the World even so is Baptism now to all true Christian believers and their children which is the Figure thereof a Mark and Token of Gods distinguishing Love and Grace unto them above all other persons in the World for baptism is a sealing the Name of God upon them whereby they are externally received into the Family of Christ for whoso shall receive one such little child in Christs name receives Christ himself 2. As Noah and his Family were all in the Ark even so believers and their seed are all in the Covenant and therefore they all ought to have the Figure of Noah's Preservation administred unto them namely Water-baptism and that by sprinkling otherwise it cannot answer to the Figure of Noah's Preservation for he nor none of his Family went over-board into the water and were dipped but was sprinkled with the Rain from Heaven and with the water that did fly over into the Ark by the beating of the Waves against it even as it doth against a ship at sea in a stoo● by which the Mariners are often sprinkled and know this my self experimentally but if any ● the Mariners are dipped in the sea they are commonly drowned 3. And lastly As the Waters in mercy b●● up the Ark and saved Noah and his Family eve● so in judgment it drowned all the World besides for the Text saith that Noah was saved by wate● unto which baptism is annexed Thus I have p●ved that sprinkling in baptism is of Divine Institution and dipping for baptism but a human Invention 7. Saith Mr. D. Habitual Faith is not to be f●● in the primitive Fathers Writings To which ● thus reply What is that to us I will put it to a fair and short Issue which shall be this Either Mr. D. must grant that all elect dying Infants have Habitual Faith otherwise he must totally deny Original sin which he please here is his choice for this is the genuine consequence of it witho● offering the least force or violence unto his Allegation 1. For First If all young Infants by nature are guilty of Adam's Transgression then they cannot be saved without Regeneration for there is no passing immediately out of the Kingdom and Dominion of Sin and Satan into the Kingdom of Glory for there is a great Gulf fixed between them Luke 16.26 And if they are not in the Ark of Gods preventing Grace to ferry then over they must perish for the only Road to the Kingdom of Glory lyeth through the Kingdom and Dominion of Gods free preventing Grace for all old and young that are saved Eph. 2.8 2. All young Infants by nature are guilty of Original Sin and depravation Psal 51. Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me Rom. 3. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Therefore they must have Grace poured into their Souls to subdue and conquer that original depravation or they cannot be sanctified nor saved for we all received our very shape and first being in sin Therefore they must have Grace to unite them to Christ the lost Image of God by the Fall of Adam must be restored unto them and re-instamped upon them and Christ with all the Graces of his Spirit must be formed in them or God will never save them nor be reconciled unto them no more than he will to the Fallen Angels and this must be done by the Infusion of Gracious Habits into their Souls 1 John 3.9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him This Seed of God is the Principles and Habits of Grace which is a Fruit of the Spirit but Grace in Act and Exercise is called the Fruit of the Spirit 3. Habitual Grace is sufficient by the powerful Agency of the Spirit to subdue and conquer original Depravation in regenerating and changing their state and making them Partakers of the Divine Nature by the application of the Righteousness and Merits of Jesus Christ for Justification and Sanctification by the aforesaid Habitual Grace instrumentally of which Faith is supream because without Faith it is impossible to please God 4. The salvation of all Gods Elect both old and young is begun carried on and finished by the Work of Christ without us and by the powerful Operation of his holy Spirit within us Christ ever lives to make Intercession at the Right hand of God for the Application of his Satisfaction to the Fathers Justice for us and his Spirit abide● in us to help our infirmities in making Inte●cession for us also with groanings which cannot 〈◊〉 uttered Rom. 8.26 27. And thus all Elect dying Infants are made me● to partake of the Inheritance with the Saints ●●●ight even as all Adult believers are for this 〈◊〉 the only way in which God doth justifie sanctif●● and save all his chosen People both old and young and therefore it is emphatically called the Fai●● of Gods Elect Titus 1.1 5. Wherefore if any dying Infants are any pa●● of Gods Elect as that they are then they m●● have this Faith because it is peculiar to God Elect and to none else which is the Faith of the Operation of God and not by maturity of yea●● for he is the Author and the Finisher of it 〈◊〉 12.2 And it is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 We reverence be it spoken God may be compared 〈◊〉 a man that maketh a Watch with all the Wh●● and Pins and Members thereof but it may be 〈◊〉 doth not wind it up and set it a going as soon 〈◊〉 he hath made it but the Watch is a complea● Watch notwithstanding though it should never 〈◊〉 set a going but it is ready to go whenever the Watch-maker please Even so God forms and

fashions the new creature with all its lineaments and members in the Souls of his Elect namely all the Graces of his Spirit but the new creature ca●●● act nor move without Divine Influence no more than the Watch can go of its self and God m●● take either old or young into Glory as soon as the●● are regenerated and born again and never give them time to act Grace the Thief upon the Cro●● had but very little time to act Grace in 6. For Persons to imagine or dream of San●●fication and Salvation by the Imputation of Chri●● Righteousness and Merits without the Instrumen●allity of Habitual Faith to regenerate and change their Natures is meer spiritual Nonsense for Christ's Righteousness and Merits are not to be applied nor exposed in any other way nor by any other means but what God himself hath appointed and revealed unto us and therefore it is called the Righteousness of Faith but according to our Opponents Principles it is a Righteousness without Faith Pray dear Friends consider of this and be no longer deluded 7. I challenge all our Opponents every Soul of them to produce but one single Text of Scripture throughout the whole Book of God that doth give the least shadow of countenance to this kind of Doctrine of theirs namely That Elect dying Infants can be sanctified and saved without Habitual Grace of which Faith is the chief 8. That salvation of dying Infants which our Opponents stickle so strenuously for is a Salvation without Justification and Regeneration which in plain English is to save them in a state of original sin and depravation for the Antipaedobaptists will not by any means allow young Infants to be capable of receiving the Habits and Seeds of Grace to regenerate and change their Natures though Christ himself who spake as never man spake like him hath told us plainly that Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God And the Scripture also saith Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. 9. A young Infant in the Womb or in the Cradle is as much polluted and depraved by nature as the oldest and vilest sinner upon Earth and as much a child of Wrath as he and he hath as much need to be justified regenerated and sanctified as he therefore all those that deny this must deny original sin which is to overthrow the very Foundation of mans salvation 10. I never read one word in all the Writ● of our Opponents about the Controversie that ● declared or once discovered the absolute ne●sity of Justification and Regeneration in order● the salvation of Elect dying Infants I desire th● to produce us the Book and Page if they o● where there is any such Doctrine It is true 〈◊〉 tell us fine quaint Stories of Sanctification a Application of the Righteousness and Merits Jesus Christ for the salvation of Elect dying ●fants and of their great hope and charity 〈◊〉 have for them and yet in the same breath 〈◊〉 tell us that they are not capable of receiving 〈◊〉 Graces of the Spirit by which it is to be brou● about and effected which knocks all their ch● and hopes for dying Infants on the head concer●ing their future state of Happiness for Mr. ● ● very ingenuously hath published and confessed his Book that he is not capable of understands the Notion of Habitual Faith for saith he it's 〈◊〉 fine for my uncultivated head That is His 〈◊〉 Reason cannot fathom it 11. I do positively affirm as I shall Answer at the great day of Judgment that all those 〈◊〉 will not allow Elect dying Infants to be capable receiving Habitual Grace to regenerate sancti● and change their Natures do at once reprob● them all by their Principle and bar the Gate 〈◊〉 Heaven fast against them For 12. And lastly If the salvation of lost sinne● is a pure Design of preventing Grace then I 〈◊〉 affirm That a young Infant is as capable of salva●on as any Adult person is whatsoever but 〈◊〉 salvation of lost sinners is a pure Design of p●venting Grace Therefore a young Infant i● capable of salvation as any Adult person is w●soever 1. It is a pure design of preventing Grace with a ●espect to God the Father that contrived it 2. It is so with respect to Christ the Son that accom●lished it 3. And lastly It is so with a respect to Man that hath the benefit of it First Grace and subsequent persevering Grace unto Eternal Salvation is all of pure preventing Grace and ●t is brought about by effectual Calling Justification Adoption and Sanctification for preventing Grace ●uns through them all As hath been most elegantly ●llustrated amplified unfolded and applied by that ●minent Divine who is worthy to be ranked among the rest of our Stars of the first Magnitude in this Hemisphere of Gods Heaven upon Earth the Church namely Mr. M. M. of Stepney from that Famous Text of Christ's wonderful preventing Grace in St. Luke 19.10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost 1. That the salvation of lost sinners is a pure Design of preventing Grace appears in these following Particulars 1. In that men by nature are spiritually dead as in Eph. 2. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins The sinner being dead is not able to quicken nor raise himself but God doth it you hath he quickened c. that is God Therefore it is preventing Grace 2. If the sinner be lost and God is found by him when he sought him not then it is pure preventing Grace but so it is as you may see in Rom. 10. I was found of them that sought me not I was made manifest to them that asked not after me Compare with Isa 65.1 3. In Ezek. 16. thou wast cast out in the 〈◊〉 field to the lothing of thy person in the day that th● wast born And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast i● thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live 4. Man by nature is not only in a state of separation from God but also in a state of Enmity against him and until that Enmity be slain and the Soul united to Christ which is done by Habitual Faith instrumentally there can be no hope of Reconciliation nor Eternal Salvation I say again God will as soon save the Fallen Angels as save any Fallen sinner old or young in the Womb or out of it that dyeth in a state of separation and Enmity against God as all Mankind by nature are Psal 51. Rom. 3.11 12 23. It must be Habitual Faith instrumentally that must justifie the sinner by taking hold of the Righteousness and Merits of Jesus Christ and applying it to the sinner by the manuduction of the holy Spirit for God is the Author and the Finisher of our Faith 5. In the fifth and last place to conclude this Head