Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	write_a	write_v	writing_n	158	3	8.6248	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51846	A second volume of sermons preached by the late reverend and learned Thomas Manton in two parts : the first containing XXVII sermons on the twenty fifth chapter of St. Matthew, XLV on the seventeenth chapter of St. John, and XXIV on the sixth chapter of the Epistle of the Romans : Part II, containing XLV sermons on the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, and XL on the fifth chapter of the second Epistle to the Corinthians : with alphabetical tables to each chapter, of the principal matters therein contained.; Sermons. Selections	Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677.	1684 (1684)	Wing M534; ESTC R19254	2,416,917	1,476

all to elude the present Conviction long it is e're the proud Heart of Man is gained to take Christ upon God's Terms Convinced Men are brought in saying What shall I do Acts 9.6 Then let God write down what Articles he pleaseth they are willing to subscribe and yield to any Terms as softned Pewter let it be never so bowed and battered is receptive of any Shape and Form This is the Implicite Act or that which is required in Believing that a Man should be a lost undone Creature in himself ready to do what God will have him 2. The Explicite Acts when a Soul thus humbled casts it self upon Christ for Grace Mercy and Salvation This may be explained with respect to the two great Ordinances i. e. the Word and Prayer which are as it were a Spiritual Dialogue between God and the Soul In the Word God speaketh to us in Prayer we speak to God God offereth Christ to us in the Word and we present him to God in Prayer So that the Acts of Faith are to accept of Christ as offered and then to make use of him in our Communion with God and by this shall you know whether you do believe in him 1. Accepting Christ in the Word Faith is expressed by receiving him John 1.12 To as many as received him to them gave he Power to become the Sons of God even to them that believe in his Name Receiving is a relative word and presupposeth God's Offer Art thou willing to take Christ upon these terms Yes saith the Soul with all my Heart I accept him as a Sanctifier as a Saviour and I can venture all in his hands Then you answer God's Question How often doth God lay forth the Excellencies of Christ and none regard him but a poor hunger-bitten Conscience prizeth him receiveth him with all his heart and entertaineth him in the Soul with all Respect and Reverence This is to take Christ to accept him as Lord and Saviour upon God's Offer As when Isaac was offered to Rebekah Laban and Bethuel answered saying The thing proceedeth from the Lord we cannot speak unto thee good or bad Gen. 24.50 they consented to take him because they saw God in it So they see God tendering Christ in the Word and they are willing to take him upon his own Conditions 2. By making use of him in Prayer The great Use of Christ is that we may come to God by him Heb. 7.25 Wherefore he is able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by him We must make our Approaches to God for Supplies of Grace in the confidence of his Merit It is a great Fault in Christians that they do so little think of this Act of Faith We are busy about applying Christ to our selves The great use of Christ is in dealing with God Heb. 10.19 Having therefore boldness Brethren to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus Every Prayer that you make with any Confidence and Liberty of Spirit it cost Christ his Heart's Blood He knew that Guilt is shy of God's Presence as the Malefactor trembleth to come before the Judg Ephes. 3.12 In whom we have boldness and access with Confidence through the Faith of him Surely the Apostle speaketh de jure not what is de facto We have low and dark Thoughts as if we had no such Liberty purchased for us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we may be free with God It is the Fruit of Christ's Purchase Christ's Name signifieth much in Heaven Vse Can you thus believe in Christ take him out of God's Hand No I cannot apply Christ. I Answer Yet disclaim when you cannot apply Phil. 3.9 And be found in him not having my own Righteousness which is after the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God through Faith And apply your selves to Christ when you cannot apply Christ to you that is cast your selves upon Christ. You have warrant enough from the Word There is an Adventure of Faith when there is no Perswasion of Interest 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have believed and I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day The Venture is grounded on God's free offer of him to all Sorts When we rest on him because we know he is ours that is another thing there is Trust that is a Fruit of Propriety 1 John 5.13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal Life and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God But the Adventure is grounded on the Offer as a Child holds fast his Father in the Dark Mariners cast Anchor at Midnight And ripen Faith more all Faith draweth to particular Application The lowest Degree is a desire to lay hold on Christ as our Saviour this is the tendency and aim of the least Faith though we do not leap into full assurance at first As a Man that climbeth up to the top of the Tree first he catcheth hold of the lowest Boughs and so by little and little he windeth himself into the Tree till he cometh to the top Secondly The next thing is the Warrant or Instrument through their Word It is not meant only of those that heard the Apostles in Person by their Word is meant the Scripture which was not only preached by them at first but written by them as Paul saith Rom. 2.16 In the day when God shall judg the Secrets of Men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel that is which I have published and delivered to the Church in writing John 15.16 Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth Fruit and that your Fruit should remain By their Fruit is meant the publick Treasure of the Church the Scriptures and that remaineth in all Ages until Christ come As the Jews were Children of the Prophets that never heard them Acts 3.25 So were we converted by their Word Now I shall handle the Necessity Use and Power of the Word to work Faith 1. The Necessity of the Word preached it is the ordinary Means It is a nice Dispute whether God can work without it God can enlighten the World without the Sun It is clear ordinarily he doth not work without the Word we are bound tho the Spirit is free How shall they believe on him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher Rom. 10.14 It is the means to convey Faith into the Hearts of the Elect it is as necessary to Faith as Faith to Prayer and Prayer to Salvation It is a Means under a Promise You see how necessary it is they that voluntarily neglect the Means put a Scorn upon God's Institution Men will say I can read at Home Are you wiser than he Men think that of all other things Preaching might best

the Trial of all Doctrines God himself wrote the first Scripture that ever was written with his own Finger Exod. 24.12 And the Lord said to Moses C●me up to me into the Mount and be there and I will give thee Tables of Stone and a Law and Commandments which I have written that thou mayest teach them And then commanded Moses and the Prophets to do the same Exod. 17.14 And the Lord said unto Moses Write this for a Memorial in a Book And Exod. 34.27 And the Lord said unto Moses Write thou these Words for after the Tenor of these Words I have made a Covenant with thee and with Israel So he bids Jeremiah Chap. 36.2 Take thee a Roll of a Book and write therein all the Words that I have spoken thee And so God spake to all the Prophets tho it be not exprest and by inward Instinct bids them write their Prophecies that it might be a publick Record for the Church in all Ages Now this Way was always accompanied with Prophetical Revelations until Christ's time who as the great Doctor of the Church perfected the Rule of Faith and by the Apostles as so many Publick Notaries consigned it to the use of the Church And so when the Canon was compleat then John as the last of the Apostles and outliving the rest closed up all and therefore closeth up his Prophecy thus Rev. 22.18 19. For I testify unto every Man that heareth the Words of the Prophecy of this Book If any Man add unto these things God shall add unto him the Plagues that are written in this Book And if any Man shall take away from the Words of the Book of this Prophecy God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life and out of the holy City and from the Things that are written in this Book Which sealeth up the whole Canon and Rule of Faith as well as the Book of the Revelations And therefore 3. There is now Writing only without the Word without Visions and Revelations There needeth no more now because here is enough to make us wise unto Salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. And that from a Child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness That the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good Works It is sufficient to make us wise to preach and you wise to practise It is now certain enough God hath left a publick Record that we might not spend our time in doubting and disputing And it is full enough you need nothing more either to satisfy the Desires of Nature or to repair the Defects of Nature to satiate the Soul with Knowledg For God hath given to the Church sufficient Instruction to decide all Controversies to assoil all Doubts and to give us sure Conduct and Direction to everlasting Glory III. The next Question is Of what Concernment it is to enquire of the Truth of the Scripture Many think that such a Discussion needs not because this is a principal matter to be believed not argued and Arguments at least beget but an humane Faith Yet certainly it is of great necessity if you consider four things 1. It is good to prepare and induce carnal Men to respect it and to wait for the Confirmation of the Spirit An Humane Faith maketh way for a Divine when Men hearken to the Word upon common grounds God may satisfy them as those John 4.42 Now we believe not because of thy saying for we have heard him our selves and know that this is indeed the Christ the Son of the Living God They first believed upon the Woman's Report and then upon their own Experience So it is good to establish sound Grounds that we may know the Truth of God first upon Hear-say and afterward upon Experience This way we induce and invite Men to make a Trial. 2. Because it giveth an additional Confirmation and greater Certainty to the People of God Foundation-Stones can never be laid with exactness and care enough For if you mark it you will find all doubting in your Belief all disproportion in your Practice ariseth from this because the supreme Truth is not setled in the Soul We ought to believe it more and more then it stirs up greater Reverence greater Admiration and makes way for your Delight and Joy to have your Charter cleared It is good to look upon this Argument that it might further Our Comfort and that this Fire may be blown up into a Flame and that Truth may have more Awe upon the Conscience 3. It awakeneth them that have received the Word upon slight grounds to be better setled Most Men look no further than humane Authority and publick Countenance they have no other grounds to believe the Scriptures than the Turks to believe the Alcoran because it is the Tradition of their Fathers Most Mens Belief is but an happy Mistake a thing at peradventure and they are Christians upon no other grounds than others are Turks God loveth a rational Worship he would have us to render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Reason of the Faith that is in us But they are Christians by Chance rather than Choice and solid Reason it is because they know no other Religion not because they know no better Well then that you may be able to justify your Religion For Wisdom is justified of her Children Mat. 11.19 that you may take up the Ways of God upon a rational Choice it is good to see what Grounds and Confirmations we have for that holy Faith we do profess 4. That we may know the distinct Excellency of our Profession above all other Professions in the World The Daughters of Jerusalem are brought in asking the Spouse Cant. 5.9 What is thy Beloved more than another Beloved O thou fairest among Women What is thy Beloved more than another Beloved that thou dost so charge us What can you say for your Christ and for your way of Salvation and for your Scriptures above what other Men can say for their Worship or their Superstition A Christian should know the distinct and special Excellency of his Profession Jer. 6.16 God bids us Stand in the way and see and ask for the old Paths Where is the good Way It is good to survey the Superstitions we have in the World and compare the Excellency of our holy Profession with other Professions In Scripture we are required not only to glorify God but to sanctify him Isa. 8.13 Sanctify the Lord of Hosts in your Hearts So 1 Pet. 3.15 Sanctify the Lord God in your Hearts and be ready always to give an Answer to every Man that asketh you a Reason of the Hope that is in you with meekness and fear Now what is it to sanctify It is to set apart any thing from common Uses This

needs be true for God is so infinitely Wise that he cannot be deceived and so infinitely Just and True that he will not deceive us and so Omnipotent that he cannot be jealous of our Knowledg and so Gracious that he is not envious of our Knowledg as the Devil would insinuate Gen. 3.5 For God doth know that in the Day ye eat thereof then your Eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing Good and Evil. It will be no infringement to his Interest if we should know his Nature and his Will But the great Question is What we should take for the Word of God Now that we may have a sure ground in this Kind let us consider how he hath revealed himself to Man The Dispensations of God are several 1. To Adam 2. To the World 3. To the Church 1. To Adam His Bible was his Heart the Law was written there and God preached to him immediatly and by Oracle gave him all extraordinary Commands and the Book of the Creatures for his Contemplation not so much to better his Knowledg as to increase his Reverence 2. To the World to Heathens God gave the Book of Nature which was more than they made use of and therefore he stopt there Psal. 19.1 2 3. The Heavens declare the Glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his Handy-Work Day unto Day uttereth Speech and Night unto Night sheweth Knowledg There is no Speech nor Language where their Voice is not heard c. This Revelation God hath made of himself even to all Nations they have Sun and Moon to look upon and the Structure of the Heavens to behold which are as so many Pledges of the Excellency and Infiniteness of God Rom. 1.19 20. Because that which may be known of God is manifest to them for God hath shewed it unto them For the invisible Things of him from the Creation of the World are clearly seen being understood by the Things that are made even his eternal Power and Godhead so that they are without excuse Acts 14.17 Nevertheless he left not himself without Witness in that he did good and gave us Rain from Heaven and fruitful Seasons filling our Hearts with Food and Gladness In the Book of Nature there is the rough Draught of God's Will Trismegistus said it was Liber unus Divinitate plenus Creation was nothing else but one Book that was full of the Glory of God and his Excellency God Spake to them by Things not by Words This with some Instincts of Conscience the Relicts of the Fall was all the Heathens had Conscience was God's Deputy to put them in mind of a Judg and the Heavens put them in mind of a God Look as Job's Messengers said I alone am escaped to tell thee so there are some few Reliques and Principles alone escaped out of the Ruins of the Fall to tell us somewhat of God and somewhat of a Judg. That Light proclaims every where and speaks to every Nation and proclaims it aloud to all People Kindred and Tongues of the Earth Take notice there is one infinite eternal God that made us and you and all things else God's refreshing the parched Earth with Showers of Rain shews how willing he is to be gracious to poor hungry Creatures Fruitful Seasons shew us the abundance of his Mercy The decking the Heavens with Stars and the Earth with Plants shew us what Glory he can put upon the Creatures This Language may be gathered out of the Creation and thus did God speak to all Creatures by the Voice of his Creatures 3. To the Church And the Dispensations of God to the Church have been various and diverse Heb. 1.1 God who at sundry times and in divers manners 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spake in Times past unto our Fathers by the Prophets c. He spake his Mind by pieces that is signified by the Word now he gave a piece of his Mind and then a piece And he hath spoken also in sundry manners by several ways of Revelation The Church never wanted sufficient Revelation nor Means of Knowledg to guide them to the Enjoyment of God and true Happiness God's Dispensations to the Church may be reduced to three Heads There was 1. His Word without Writing 2. Then Word and Writing 3. Then Writing only 1. There was the Word without Writing by Visions Oracles and Dreams by which he manifested himself to Persons of the greatest Sanctity and Holiness that they might instruct others and impart the Mind of God to others Now mark this Dispensation was sure enough to guide them to Communion with God why Because the People of the World were then but few Families and the Persons intrusted with God's Message were of great Authority and Credit therefore sufficient enough to inform that present Age of God's Counsel and which was another Advantage they lived long to continue the Tradition with certainty to others for hundreds of Years Vision and Tradition was sure enough for as 't is observed by some three Men might continue the Tradition of the Counsel of God from Adam till Israel went down into Egypt There was Adam first God taught him by Oracle and he taught others he lived a long time Methuselah lived with Adam two hundred forty three Years and continued until the Flood then Se● lived with Methusalah ninety eight Years and flourished about five hundred Years after the Flood and Isaac lived fifty Years with Sem and died about ten Years before Israel's descent into Egypt So that Methuselah Sem and Isaac might continue the Knowledg of God and preserve the Purity of Religion from Adam's Death till Israel's going down into Egypt for so many hundred Years This was God's Dispensation to that Church 2. Afterwards there was both Word and Writing God's Word was necessary for the further revealing and clearing up of the Doctrine of Salvation which was revealed by pieces And Writing was necessary partly because in process of time Precepts were multiplied and it was needful for Mens Memories that they should be registred in some publick Record and partly because the long Life of God's Witnesses was much lessened and the Corruption of the World was increased and Satan began to imitate God by Oracles Visions and Answers and Idolatry and Superstition crept into the best Families Into ●erah's Josh. 24.2 Your Fathers dwelt on the other side the Flood in old Time even Terah the Father of Abraham and the Father of Nachor and they served other Gods And Jacob's Family was corrupt Gen. 35.2 Then Jacob said to his Houshold and to all that were with him Put away the strange Gods that are among you and be clean and change your Garments The People were grown numerous enough to make a Commonwealth and a Politick Body and it was fit they should have a publick Record and common Rule and therefore to avoid Man's Corruptions and to give a stop to Satan's Deceits the Lord thought fit there should be a written Rule at hand for