Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A20414
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A short explanation, of the epistle of Paul to the Hebrewes. By David Dickson, preacher of Gods Word, at Irwin
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Dickson, David, 1583?-1663.
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1635
(1635)
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STC 6824; ESTC S109679
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160,093
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348
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rightlie esteemed of except hee bee preferred as farre aboue all his servantes as the Father hath counted him worthie of more Glorie than his servants 2. Hee preferreth Christ aboue Moses as the Builder is aboue the house THEN As no stone in the house nor all the house togther is comparable in honour with the Builder of the house So the honour and authoritie of no particular member of the Church nor of the whole Catholicke Church together is comparable to the honour and authoritie of Christ. Yea as farre as the Builder is aboue the house in honour as farre is Christ's authoritie aboue the Churches authoritie which is his house Vers. 4. For everie house is builded by some man but Hee that built all things is GOD. HEe prooveth Christ to bee the Builder of the Church because some builder it must haue as everie house hath But onlie GOD that buildeth all thinges is able for this worke Therefore Christ who buildeth all thinges is the Builder of it THEN 1. Whatsoever employment a man get of GOD in edifying of the Church yet in proper speach hee is a parte of the Building builded by another 2. The honour of building the Church belongeth to GOD alone properlie 3. The building of the Church is a worke requyring Omnipotencie in the Builder For to make a Saynct of a Sinner is as hard as to make a Man of the dust of the earth or of nothing Vers. 5. And Moses verilie was faythfull in all His House as a Servant for a testimonie of those thinges which were to bee spoken after MOses was faythfull as a Servant Now a Servant's parte is to doe and say by direction and not of his owne authoritie THEN Hee is the faythfullest Servant that doeth least in his owne authoritie and most attendeth vnto the direction of GOD beareth testimonie to what GOD hath commanded and teacheth not for Doctrine the preceptes of men Vers. 6. But CHRIST as a Sonne over His owne House whose House are wee if wee holde fast the Confidence and the rejoycing of the Hope firme vnto the ende MOses was faythfull as a Servant but Christ as a Sonne over his owne house THEN 1. As much difference betwixt Christ's authoritie in the Church and mens how excellent soever as betwixt the authoritie of the Master and the Servantes 2. CHRIST'S authoritie is natiue over His Church by vertue of His Sonneship by His Eternall Generation of the Father Hee hath this Prerogatiue 3. The Church is CHRIST'S owne House and Hee may dispose of it and of the Service thereof as pleaseth Him Men who are but servantes must change none of the Ordinances of GOD'S Worship in it But CHRIST may change the Ordinances of His owne Worship and therefore alter the ordinances of Levi and appoynct a more simple forme of externall worship in place thereof 2. Hee expoundeth this House to bee the Companie of true Believers THEN 1. The Church of GOD vnder the Law and vnder the Gospell are one Church one House of GOD in substance and all the Faythfull then and now lyuelie Stones of this House 2. The Church haue GOD dwelling and conversing and familiarlie manifesting Himselfe amongst them 3. Hee addeth to a Condition If wee holde fast the Confidence and the rejoycing of the hope firme vnto the ende That is If wee continue steadfast in the Fayth inwardlie gryping the promised Glorie by hope and outwardlie avowing by confession Christ's Trueth whereby hee neyther importeth the possibilitie of finall Apostacie of the Saynctes nor yet myndeth hee to weaken the Confidence of Believers more nor hee doubteth of his owne perseverance or myndeth to weaken his owne fayth for hee joyneth himselfe with them saying If wee holde fast But wryting to the number of the Visible Church of whom some not beeing sound might fall away and by their example make some weake ones though sound stumble for a tyme to the dishonour of the Gospell hee putteth a difference betwixt true Believers who doe indeede persever and tyme-servers who doe not persever to whom bee doeth not grant for the present the Priviledge of beeing GOD'S House This conditionall speach then IMPORTETH 1. That some Professoures in the Visible Church may make Defection and not persever to the ende 2. That such as shall make finall Defection heereafter are not a parte of GOD'S House for the present howsoever they bee esteemed 3. That true Believers must take warning from the possibilitie of some Professoures Apostacie to looke the better to themselues and to take a better grip of CHRIST who is able to keepe them 4. That true Believers both may and should holde fast their Confidence vnto the ende yea and must ayme to doe so if they would persever 5. That true Believers haue ground and Warrand in the Promises of the Gospell both to hope for Salvation and to rejoyce and glorie in that Hope as if it were present Possession 6. That the more a man aymeth at this solide Confidence and gloriation of Hope the more evidence hee giveth that hee is of the true House of GOD. Vers. 7. Wherefore as the holie Ghost sayeth To day if yee will heare His Voyce 1. IN the wordes of the Psal. xcv vers 9. he exhorteth them to beware of hardening their heart in vnbeliefe The wordes of the PSALME are called heere The Saying of the holie Ghost and of the GOD of Israell 2. SAM 23.2.3 THEN 1. The authoritie of the Scripture is not of man but of the holie Ghost 2. The Scriptures are no dumbe letter but the voyce of the holie Ghost who by them speaketh 3. The holie Ghost is God the Inspirer of the Prophets that wrote the Scripture 4. The holie Ghost is a distinct person of the Godhead from the Father and the Sonne exercing the proper actions of a person inspiring the Prophets dyting the Scriptures and speaking to the Church 2. In the wordes of the Exhortation To day if yee will heare His Voyce harden not your heartes OBSERVE 1. That whyle men haue the offer of Salvation and the Word preached vnto them it is their day 2. That by the outward hearing GOD requyreth the heart to be brought downe and mollified 3. That Hee requyreth present yeelding To day whyle Hee calleth without delay because wee can not bee sure howe long GOD will spare or continue His offer beyond this present 4. Hee that studieth not to yeeld his heart to belieue and obey GOD'S Word sounding in his eares hardeneth his heart For what is it else not to harden their heart but heartilie to belieue and giue obedience Vers. 8. Harden not your heartes as in the Provocation in the day of temptation in the Wildernesse Vers. 9. When your fathers tempted me prooved mee and saw my Workes fourtie yeares HEe prooveth the danger of this sinne in the example of their fathers As in the day of provocation when your fathers tempted mee EXOD. xvij 7 Whence WE LEARNE 1. That the ill of Sinne is not seene
perfectlie expiated all their sinnes 3. Hee hath not made Purchase of some Graces vnto them onelie for a certayne tyme so as Hee will let them bee taken out of His Hand afterwardes and perish but Hee hath PERFECTED them for ever 4. Hee hath not appoyncted anie offering for them to bee made by anie other after Him But hath made ONE Offering HIMSELFE for them which satisfieth for ever so as the Father craveth no more offering for expiating their sinne for ever For GOD hath set foorth CHRIST to bee a Propitiation through Fayth in His Bloode ROM lij 25 That is GOD maketh it manifest by His Gospell that Hee is pacified in CHRIST towardes them that belieue in His Bloode that belieue in Him crucified Vers. 15. Whereof the holie Ghost also is a Witnesse vnto vs For after that Hee had sayde before Vers. 16. This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those dayes sayeth the LORD I will put My Lawes into their Hearts and in their Myndes will I wryte them Vers. 17. And their sinnes and iniquities will I remember no more HEE prooveth that it is needlesse there should bee anie repetition of a sacrifice for sinne in the New Testament Because Remission of sinnes purchased by Christ's death who is the Testatour is still in force continuallie in Christ's Kingdome there beeing an Article of the Covenant for Remission of sinnes to the Confederated And if Remission of sinnes bee no Oblation for sinne can bee vers 18. 1. Hee sayeth that the holie Ghost is Witnesse vnto vs of this Trueth That Christ can not bee offered agayne THEN 1. Wee who doe teach this Doctrine and deny anie more offering of Christ as a sacrifice haue the holie Ghoste testifying for vs. 2. The holie Ghoste is Author of the Scripture and doeth speake vnto vs there-by 2. Hee declareth the Newe Covenant to bee of the holie Ghosts making and calleth Him THE LORD Wherein hee teacheth vs 1. That the holie Ghoste it a distinct person of the Godhead bearing witnesse by Himselfe to the Church of the Trueth 2. And one in essence with the Father and the Sonne even the LORD IEHOVAH Author of the Newe Covenant with the Father and the Sonne Vers. 18. Now where Remission of these is there is no more offering for sinne FROM this Article of Remission of sinnes in the Newe Covenant hee concludeth No more offering for sinne but once vnder this Covenant Because sinne is expiated QVEST. Howe then could there bee Remission of sinne vnder the Lawe where there was daylie offering for sinne Or if there was Remission howe could there bee offering for sinne I ANSWERE There is a Remission granted vpon Suretie given for Satisfaction to bee made for the partie remitted and there is a Remission granted for Satisfaction alreadie made for the partie remitted The Remission that the Fathers vnder the Lawe had was of the first sorte Vpon Promise of the Mediatour to come and to satisfie And with Remission of this sorte a typicall sacrifice might stand for signifying that the true expiatorie Sacrifice was not yet payed but was comming to bee payed But the Remission that wee get vnder the Gospell is vpon Satisfaction alreadie made by the true Expiatorie and Satisfactorie Sacrifice of IESVS CHRIST done and ended with the personall suffering And this sorte of Remission is it whereof the Apostle heere speaketh and it admitteth no manner of offering for sinne neyther typicall offering because Christ is come and hath fulfilled what the typicall sacrifice did signifie neyther the repeating of the true Expiatorie Sacrifice of Christs Bodie because then Christ behooved to suffer daylie and die daylie after that hee hath made satisfaction And beside these two sortes of offering the â—ewish bloodie sacrifices typicall and the true Expiatorie bloodie Sacrifice of Christ's Bodie on the Crosse the Scripture acknowledgeth none So the meaning of 〈◊〉 Apostle in these wordes must bee this Where Remission of sinnes is alreadie purchased by offering of the true Expiatorie Sacrifice as nowe it is vnder the New Covenant there no more offering can bee for sinne anie more THEN 1. The Apostle acknowledgeth no vse for anie sacrifice vnder the Newe Testament after Christ's Ascention else his Reason should not holde 2. The sacrifice which is offered to wit the Bodie of IESVS hath alreadie suffered for sinne so that nowe the Remission of those that is of sinne and iniquitie ALL SORT of the Elects sinnes is obtayned there-by alreadie 3. Not onelie NO SACRIFICE is anie more to bee offered for sinne vnder the Newe Covenant but also No OFFERING sayeth hee bloodie or vnbloodie is to bee offered 4. That Church which pretendeth to offer anie Offering for sinnes of quicke or dead nowe vnder the Gospell professeth That no Remission of sinne is to bee had in such a Church Because vvhere there is Remission of sinne there is no more offering for sinne sayeth the Apostle expresslie Vers. 19. Having therefore Brethren boldnesse to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of IESUS FROM the by-past Doctrine of Christ's Excelcellencie and Riches of Grace which commeth vnto vs through him hee draweth Exhortations for vse-making of this Doctrine in soundnesse of Fayth and the Fruites there-of vnto the ende of the Epistle And first hee exhorteth To seeke vnto Communion with GOD in Heaven through Christ vsing the tearmes of the Ceremoniall Lawe but mixed with wordes touching the Excellencie of the thing signified aboue those Ceremonies to showe the Hebrewes That those Ceremonies had nothing in themselues but did serue to represent Christ and his Benefites And so to drawe them from those shadowes vnto the trueth of that which once beeing signified by them is nowe manifested in Christ. To make the Exhortation to bee the better receaved bee setteth downe sundrie Priviledges of the Faythfull vers 19.20.21 From which hee inferreth his Exhortation vers 22. For the first Priviledge hee sayeth Wee haue libertie to enter into the Holiest That is Into Heaven 1. In that hee maketh this Priviledge proper to the societie of Christians himselfe and others hee teacheth vs 1. That so long as men are without Christ they are debarred out of Heaven no Doore nor Way open but the flaming Sword of GOD'S Iustice to keepe out everie one that shall preasse to enter before Christ bring them But such as come to Christ by Fayth Heaven is opened vnto them and the Doore cast vp for them to enter in who were exyled before 2. Next hee commendeth this Priviledge by calling the Place The Holiest the Place where GODS HOLINESSE dwelleth represented by the Sanctuarie where nothing can enter but that which is holie Teaching vs there-by That the Faythfull are so washen from their sinnes through Fayth in Christ that GOD will admit them into the Place of His Dwelling into His Heavenlie Sanctuarie by Fayth nowe and Fruition heere-after 3. Hee commendeth this Priviledge by calling it a Libertie The word properlie signifieth Libertie to speake