Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	faith_n	word_n	write_a	3,171	5	10.6412	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A82009	The communicants instructor. Or, A sacramental catechism in which the nature of the covenant of grace, and the visible seals thereof (viz.) baptism and the Lord's Supper, with the gospel qualifications of worthy receivers, are opened with all plainness and clearness by way of question and answer. Recommended to the use of the younger and more ignorant sort, especially to such as desire admission to, and would worthily partake of the Lord's Supper; with a request to the charitable, that they would make it a piece of their spiritual alms to the poor. By George Day, Minister of the gospel.	Day, George, d. 1697.	1700 (1700)	Wing D460; ESTC R229671	41,977	125

The Communicants Instructor OR A SACRAMENTAL Catechism IN WHICH The Nature of the Covenant of Grace and the visible Seals thereof viz. Baptism and the Lord's Supper with the Gospel Qualifications of worthy Receivers are opened with all plainness and clearness by way of Question and Answer Recommended to the Use of the Younger and more Ignorant sort especially to such as desire Admission to and would worthily Partake of the Lord's Supper with a Request to the Charitable That they would make it a Piece of their Spiritual Alms to the Poor By George Day Minister of the Gospel Heb. 5.12 For when for the time ye ought to be Teachers ye have need that one teach you again which be the first Principles of the Oracles of God and are become such as have need of Milk and not of strong Meat LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers-Chappel 1700. The EPISTLE to the READER Christian Reader THO' Baptism and the Supper of the Lord be sacred Ordinances and Christ's own Institutions yet such is the sin and shame of this degenerate Age That Multitudes under the Christian Profession live in a careless Omission of them and not a few in a prophane Con●●mpt and Opposition against them The Fault of the former sort proceeds from gross Ignorance of the spiritual Nature Vse and Ends of these Ordinances That of the latter from a Spirit prepossessed and prejudiced with Error Now tho' I have little hopes of doing any good upon the Erronious by this brief and slender Piece seeing their Malignity against the Truths which they disown will probably encline them to reject it with disdain on the first sight of the Title Page without vouchsafing it a sober perusal yet the hopes of being somewhat serviceable to the Ignorant especially to such as are desirous of spiritual Knowledge and are willing to be instructed have at length prevailed with me to comply with the Request of Christian Friends in exposing this mean Essay to publick View I know there are many excellent Helps of this kind already extant and therefore this may well be thought needless and I confess this very Consideration hath suppressed these Meditations for many years by me but observing divers Tracts that speak much of the Lord's Supper say little or nothing of Baptism tho' this being the initiating Ordinance and first seal of the Gospel Covenant ought first to be considered and well understood I have therefore endeavoured to open both these holy Ordinances distinctly together with the Nature of the Covenant of Grace to which they are annexed as its visible signs and seals I have made it my Business to gather the most material and soul-concerning Truths that I find scattered in many excellent Authors that have written on this Subject and contracted them that I might give thee much in a little and croud as much precious Matter into these few Pages as I well could without prejudice to the sense and with due regard to weaker Memories that a little Pains and Patience may make much Truth thine own I have also endeavoured to express my sense of things with the greatest plainness and clearness I could using words and phrases that may easily be understood by persons of mean Capacity and studiously declining others having observed in Teaching both Young and Old that the want of understanding the true meaning tho' but of one word in a Sentence hath made the whole unintelligible and so unprofitable to them Thou wilt find to most of the Answers scripture Proofs subjoined tho' only referr'd to for brevities sake therefore pray turn to them and see with thine own eyes how clearly and fully these Truths are confirmed by the holy Scriptures and so the reason why thou should'st believe them for we ought to make no Position or Assertion an Article of our Christian Faith but what is founded on a Divine Attestation and bottomed on the written Word of God which is the only perfect and perpetual Rule of our Christian Faith and Practice I have purposely chosen to give thee this Help in a Catechistical method by way of Question and Answer for these Reasons 1. Because it is the most easie plain familiar way of instructing the Ignorant and therefore like to he the more profitable 2. Because it is of great Antiquity having been used not only in the Christian but also in the Jewish Church yea some of the Learned trace its Foot steps back to the beginning of time concluding that it was practised by Adam himself who catechised or instructed his Sons in the Doctrine of Man's Fall of the Seed of the Woman and of worshipping of God by offering sacrifices c. Read Willet Downham Greenham Pemble and others on this Subject 3. Because the neglect of Catechising for 20 or 〈◊〉 years last past which we should reflect on with ●ame and grief hath been one great cause of the ●ecay of Knowledge in our days there being ma●y thousands of adult and grown Persons and ma●y of them Parents and Governours of Families ●osly ignorant of the very Fundamentals of the ●hristian Faith which they profess and that tho' me of them have sate under the preaching of the ●ord a long time Indeed 't is an Observation I ●●ve often made and am confirmed in it by daily exerience That uncatechised Heads understand but ●ittle of the most excellent Sermons they bear and therefore it is not to be thought strange that they grow little the wiser by them O that this were duly considered and might prove a cogent Argument to Ministers and Governours of Families for the Revival of this useful Exercise among us And because my words may have little weight let me here take leave humbly to mind my Reverend Brethren of a serious and weighty Passage of a great Divine now in Glory Prouble Vind. Grat. Praef. p. 13 14. I could heartily wish said he that those Ministers among us whom either Ease or Pride have made careless in this Office of Ca●●chising would be pleas'd to look abroad into such Congregations where this course is held and to compare them with their own and others where 't is neglected they should soon perceive how fair and open a passage is made for preaching to follow after where diligent Catechising hath gone before and on the other side how hopeless their Endeavours is who labour to imprint in the Heads of their People the Knowledge of Conclusions before they have learned the Principles of Divinity If these Men complain and say We have spent our strength in vain and our Labour without profit preaching long and seeing little Reformation I will not pity them who are lik● unwise Nurses that when their Children thrive not lay the Blame upon their sickly Bodies when the Fault is in their own indiscretion who feed them not with Childrens Bread but forc● upon them stronger Meat which they canno● digest but vomit up again Thus he To this hearty wish of his

do believe in Christ with their hearts and obey him in their lives Q. 107. Who are Heart-covenanters with God A. Those who truly repent of their sins against God Renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil and take God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost for their only God and chief Good their Father Redeemer and Sanctifier and give up themselves to fear love and obey him according to his Word and this unto the Death Isa 44.5 and 56.4 Q. 108. How may we know that we are in Covenant with God A. We may know it by these three things 1. By our sincere consenting to the Covenant or choosing the living and true God to be our God and giving up our selves to be his People Q. 109. How else A. 2. By our holy care to keep Covenant with God and to perform the Duties which he requireth of us therein Q. 110. How else A. 3. By God's gracious performance of the Promises of his Covenant to our Souls in giving us the Saving Blessings promised to his Covenant-People Q. 111. What are the Blessings which God hath promised in the Covenant of Grace A. God hath promised grace and glory all that is needful and good both temporal spiritual and eternal Blessings Psal 84.11 1 Tim. 4.8 Q. 112. What he the Spiritual Blessings that God hath promised to them in this life A. These especially God hath promised to give them 1. His Holy Spirit to teach sanctifie assist guide and comfort them Ezek. 36.27 John 14.16 17 26. Q. 113. What else A. The enlightning of their Minds with Saving Knowledge Isa 54.13 Heb. 8.11 Q. 114. What else A. The renewing of their Wills or Hearts Ezek. 36.26 and 11.19 20. Q. 115. What else A. The putting of his Law in their inward Parts and writing it in their hearts Heb. 8.10 Q. 116. What else A. The putting his Fear in their hearts to keep them from departing from him Jer. 32.40 Q. 117. What else A. The Justification of their Persons pardoning their Sins and Accepting them as Righteous in Christ Isa 53.11 Jer. 31.34 Rom. 3.24 25 26. Q. 118. What else A. The Sanctification of their Natures Ezek. 36.25 Q. 119. What else A. Adoption to be the Children of God 2 Cor. 6.18 Q. 120. How may we know whether we have the Spirit of God or no A. We may know it by the Operations Fruits or Effects of the Spirit in us which are such as these Light Life Love Liberty Joy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Repentance Hope Meekness and Temperance 2 Cor. 4.6 2 Cor. 3.6 Gal. 2.20 and 5.22 23. Q. 121. How may we know whether we have a new Heart A. 1. By the uprightness singleness and sensibleness or tenderness of our hearts Psal 7.10 Ezek. 11.19 2. By the Conformity of our Hearts to the Law of God when it is the bent desire delight of our Hearts to do the Will of God and please him in every thing Psal 119.6 8 16. Acts 13.22 Psal 40.8 Q. 122. Who must judge of this inward invisible Right to the Lord's Supper A. Every particular Christian ought to examine and judge of his own inward and invisible Right by the help of God's Spirit and the Rule of his Word 1 Cor. 11.28 1 Cor. 2.11 12. Q 123. W●at is a Gospel-fitness or preparedness for this Ordinance A. There is a twofold Gospel fitness for it 1. A fitness of our State or Condition 2. A fitness of our Frame or Disposition Both these must be had to make us worthy Guess at this Holy Table of the Lord. Q. 124. Who are in a fit State or Condition for this Ordinance A. All such and only such as are in a state of Saving Grace or the Childern of God by Regeneration and so qualified with those Graces that are needful and useful for a right receiving of this Ordinance and a spiritual profiting by it 2 Cor. 13.5 Q. 125. What is Saving-Grace A. Saving Grace is a Principle of Spiritual Life wrought in the Hearts of God's Elect by the Holy Spirit and usually by the Ministry of the Word whereby they are effectually inclined and enabled and do sincerely endeavour to obey the whole revealed Will of God in Heart Lip and Life 2 Pet. 1.4 Eph. 4.18 Col. 3.16 Heb. 12.28 John 17.17 Rom. 15.16 1 Cor. 4.15 Heb. 13.12 Q. 126. How may we know that we have Saving-Grace A. We may know it by the good Fruits and Effects of it which are especially these two 1. Saving Grace turns the Heart from all sin and sets it against sin so that such a Man doth not only forbear sin but hates it and seeks the utter destruction of it in his Heart and Life by all good means Ezek. 18.30 Psal 119.104 Matth. 26.41 Col. 3.5 2. Saving Grace turns the Heart unto God and Godliness strongly and constantly inclines it to that which is good and makes us fit and ready to and active in good Works enables us cheerfully to obey the Will of God's Precept and patiently to submit to the Will of his Providence Eph. 2.10 Isa 55.7 Psal 119 112. Tit. 3.1 Acts 21.13 Tit. 2.14 Q. 127. What are the particular Graces or gracious Qualifications that fits us for a worthy partaking of the Lord's Supper A. They are especially these seven Knowledge Faith Repentance Love New Obedience Thankfulness Holy Desire or a Spiritual Appetite to this Ordinance 128. What Knowledge should we have A. A competent measure of Knowledge of the Fundamental or Principal Truths of the Christian Religion or of such things as are revealed in the holy Scriptures necessary to make us wise unto Salvation Prov. 19.2 Eph. 1.17 Col. 1.9 3.10 Q. 129. What are the Truths that we should especially know A. Some Truths concerning God some concerning Man some concerning the Covenant between God and Man and some concerning the Sacraments or Seals of the Covenant Q 130. What should we know concerning God A. We should know something concerning his Essence or Nature something concerning his Will and something concerning his Worship Q. 131. What should we know concerning the Essence or Nature of God A. These four things 1. That God is or that there is a God Heb. 11.6 Q. 132. What else A. 2. That God is One or that there is only One true God and no more Deut. 6.4 Jer. 10.10 Q. 133. What else A. That this One God subsisteth in three distinct Persons called by distinct Names in Scripture The Father the Son and the Holy Ghost or Spirit Matth. 28.19 1 Joh. 5.7 Q. 134. What else A. 4. That this One God is a most pure invisible Spirit or a Being that cannot be seen by our Eyes John 4.24 1 Tim. 1.17 and 6.16 Q. 135. By What hath God made himself known to us A. God hath made himself known to us two ways 1. By his written Word 2. By his Works Q. 136. What doth the Word make known to us concerning the Nature of God A. The Word