Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	abraham_n	covenant_n	seed_n	2,017	5	9.1132	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47391	The ax laid to the root, or, One blow more at the foundation of infant baptism, and church-membership. Part I containing an exposition of that metaphorical text of Holy Scripture, Mat. 3. 10. : being the substance of two sermons lately preached, with some additions, wherein is shewed that God made a two-fold covenant with Abraham, and that circumcision appertained not to the covenant of grace, but to the legal and external covenant God made with Abraham's natural seed, as such : together with an answer to Mr. John Flavel's last grand arguments in his Vindiciarum Vindex, in his last reply to Mr. Philip Cary, also to Mr. Rothwell's Pædo-baptisms vindicatur, as to what seems most material / by Benjamin Keach ...	Keach, Benjamin, 1640-1704.; Rothwell, Edward, d. 1731. Paedobaptismus vindicatus.	1693 (1693)	Wing K47; ESTC R39052	37,123	40

and so need fear no wrath to come From whence comes this to pass that you seem to fear or to be afraid of future Wrath and the Vengeance of an angry God Bring forth therefore Fruits meet for Repentance ver 8. O come now and put your selves among the crowd of Poor Sinners and Godly Penitent Persons Repent of your false Doctrines you have taught Repent of the corrupt and wicked Notions and Opinions you hold and of the Vain and Hypocritical Lives you have led and think not that a bear Profession of this will do neither for you must bring forth Fruits of true Repentance Fruits of true Holiness from a thorough change of Heart that must be wrought in you But as if he should say I know your Thoughts I have heard what a Belief you are of you think you are in Covenant with God and so are faedorally Holy and in a saved and safe Condition because you have Abraham to your Father you conclude that Covenant God made with Abraham and his natural or fleshly Seed was the Covenant of Grace and so the Promise is sure to you And therefore he adds ver 7. And think not to say within your selves we have Abraham to our Father For I say unto you that God is able of these Stones to raise up Children to Abraham You promise good to your selves because you are the natural Off-spring of believing Abraham you rest upon your Descent from him The very same Plea we find they made to our blessed Saviour Joh. 8. 33. We be Abraham 's seed and were never in Bondage to any Man How sayest thou yee shall be made Free We were never under the Bondage of Sin as others are that Covenant made with Abraham being the Covenant of Grace we are thereby set at Liberty and no Man shall by his Doctrine make us believe the contrary we are a free People in respect of our Souls and spiritual Privileges for they could not mean otherwise because they had often been in Bondage to Men in respect of external Liberty and Freedom First to Pharaoh King of Egypt and then to Nebuchadnezzar and now were so in Bondage under the Romans I know saith our Saviour that ye are Abraham's Seed according to the Flesh They were his Off-spring but that was no spiritual Advantage to them tho' it did give them Right to legal Privileges and Ordinances under the Law yet it signify'd nothing now it would not profit them under the Gospel Dispensation they must be the spiritual Seed of Abraham and do the Works of Abraham and walk in his Steps which they did not and therefore the Lord Jesus told them vers 44. Ye are of your Father the Devil and the Lusts of your Father you will do John Baptist intimates the same thing when he called them a Generation of Vipers tho' they intituled themselves to the Covenant of Grace like as some do now a-days upon that in Gen. 17. extended to Abraham's Seed as well as to himself and concluded they were Members of God's Church then on Earth and could not therefore be deny'd any Privilege or Ordinance that of Right belonged to Covenant Children But this great Prophet knew how blind and deceived they were not understanding that there were two Covenants made with Abraham and also a Two-fold Seed viz. a Carnal or Natural and a Spiritual Seed they thought that Promise of God made with Abraham must be made of none Effect if they should not be owned or allowed to be the Seed of Abraham but saith the Baptists God is able of these Stones to raise up Children to Abraham If he should turn Stones into Men and Women who have Abraham's Faith they would be certainly the true Seed of Abraham and not such as they were tho' they naturally proceeded from his Loins according to the Flesh or God could of the Gentiles raise up Children to Abraham and so make good his Promise to him who said In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed And now farther to convince them and so to take away for ever all their Hope and Pretences of Right to Gospel-Ordinances and Church-Membership by vertue of the Covenant made with Abraham or from the Consideration of their being his natural or fleshly Seed he in the words I first read to you says And now also the Ax is laid to the Root of the Trees therefore every Tree which bringeth forth not good Fruit is hewn down and cast into the Fire vers 10. Now this now referrs to the time here in this Place sometimes it referrs to the Matter or Occasion of what is spoken Now the Ax is laid to the Root of the Trees whatever is meant by the Root of the Trees this is certain the Ax was not till now or until this time so laid or thus laid to the Root We cannot understand what the Holy Ghost intends hereby unless we observe and well consider the Scope and Coherence of the Text which do's clearly unfold the whole drift and purport of the Baptists He shew'd them before in the Context that their Plea to Gospel Baptism was not good nor pleadable i. e. We are Abraham's Seed they might Object and say Obj. All the seed of Abraham were taken into covenant with God and all that sprang from his loins were members of the visible Church and had right to the external rites ordinances and privileges thereof Ans. This John Baptist seems to grant i. e. That it was so from Abraham's Time untill these Days or under the Law or old Covenant-Dispensation they had he denies not a Right to Jewish Church-Membership and Legal Ordinances But what of that Now the Ax is laid to the Root of the Trees that is as Abraham was the Root or common Covenanting-Father as concerning the Flesh out of which Root all the Jews his natural Off-spring sprang and upon which Foundation they and their natural Church-State was founded Yet now the Ax is laid to this Root i. e. To this Covenant i. e. The legal or external Covenant made with Abraham and down must the Building fall when the Foundation is removed down goes the Trees when the Root out of which they grew is cut down So much as to the Scope and Coherence of the Words Secondly I shall explain the Terms and Parts of the Text 1. Shew farther what is meant by the Root 2. What is intended by the Trees 3. What is meant by the Ax. 4. What by laying the Ax to the Root of the Trees and by cutting down 5. What by the Fire and casting into the Fire First By the Root is meant that which bears up the Branches and on which the Tree and Branches stand and grow and 't is from hence from this Allusion the Baptists makes use of these Words and Expressions Now the Root whereof he speaks as I conceive was that Covenant God made with Abraham and his natural Seed or Off-spring which Covenant did in a mystical Sence as clearly

bear up the National Church of Israel and all the Trees i. e. Members or Branches thereof as a common natural Root doth the Tree or Trees that grow out of it 2. And as by Root may be meant that Covenant made with Abraham and his natural Seed from whence the National Policy and Church of the Jews sprang and was born up and from whence it grew and was to abide untill the Gospel Dispensation came in and was established so also by the Root may be intended the Foundation of all their Hopes Confidence and outward Privileges For that they I mean the natural Off-spring of Abraham had great Confidence in the Flesh by means of that legal or external Ministration they were under cannot be denied and had many outward Rights and Privileges also above all People then in the World and if so I mean if this be granted which I am sure cannot be denied then it follows there was some Root Ground or Foundation which they had and upon which they built and laid Claim to those outward Ecclesiastical and Civil Rights and Privileges and that the Ground Root or Foundation of all this was that Covenant God made with Abraham and his natural Seed is apparent to all who are not willingly Blind for before those Covenant-Tranctions with Abraham we read not that the People from whom Abraham sprang had any such Rights or Privileges granted to them and what outward Privileges God promised them afterwards by Moses 't is signify'd in divers Places to be upon the Account of the Covenant made with Abraham c. And according to the exact Time told by the Lord to Abraham God brought his natural Seed out of the Land of Egypt This from the Scope and Coherence of the Words therefore I must affirm is Primarily and Chiefly intended by the Root of the Trees in this Place But Thirdly By Root in a more remote Sence may be meant the state and standing of every Ungodly Unbelieving and Impenitent Person let their Hopes Expectation and Confidence be what it will if he be not a good Tree a Believing and True penitent Person his Root or Foundation on which he builds let it be what it will cannot secure him for down he must go with all his vain Hopes Works Expectation and Confidence whatsoever with him For now is the Ax laid to the Root of the Trees Secondly By Trees are meant Men and Women but chiefly the Seed of the Stock of Abraham according to the Flesh of whom the National Church of the Jews was made up and did consist as also all wicked and unbelieving Persons whatsoever who embrace not the Offers of Grace in the Gospel or believe not in Jesus Christ. For as the Church of God is compared to a good Tree and godly Men in particular are called good Trees so is the adulterated Church of the Jews compared to an evil Tree and wicked and ungodly Persons called Evil and corrupt Trees Yet it might be here noted that they are in this Place compared to Fruit Trees tho' to such that bring not forth good Fruit as by the Prophet the Jewish Church is compared to a Vine and an Olive Tree tho' she brought forth sowre Grapes Isa. 5. Thirdly As to the Ax we all know an Ax is that Instrument used by Men to cut down Trees at the Pleasure or for the Profit of the Owner thereof by the Ax here may be intended divers Things by which God may be said to cut down impenitent Sinners or unfruitful Churches or Bodies and Souls of Men. For cutting down may refer 1. To the Souls of Men c. 2. To their outward Rights and Privileges 3. To their Bodies and Souls both 4. To their external fleshly and corrupt Church State First To the Souls of Sinners which is done by an Act of God's Justice when he cuts them off from profiting by the means of Grace giving them up to unbelief and hardness of Heart And thus he in Judgment dealt with the Jews 2. By giving them up to blindness of Mind when they have Ears and hear not Eyes and see not Hearts and understand not God utterly leaving them to a seared Conscience or gives them up to their own Heart's Lusts and to walk in their own Counsel Then they in respect of their Souls may be said to be cut down in Wrath for ever 3. Or when he takes away the Kingdom of God from them i. e. The Dispensation of the Gospel Therefore shall the Kingdom of Heaven be taken from you and given to another People c. Secondly It may referr to the cutting down their Religious and Civil Rights and Privileges 1. When God takes away all the external and spiritual Immunities Blessings and Favours a People once enjoy'd No Gospel more preached to them no Ministers to preach it the Hedge of Protection and Preservation pluck'd up and ravenous Beasts let in to devour them like as God threatned the National Church of Israel Isa. 5. The Sun to shine upon them no more nor the Clouds to rain upon them This is a dismal cutting down Thirdly Their Bodies left to be destroyed by mercyless Enemies or cut down by Famine or Pestilence as this very People were dealt with when God brought in the Romans upon them and their Souls cut off for their final Unbelief and Impenitency Fourthly It may referr to the cutting down of their Church-State Sacrifices Priest-hood Sabbaths Temples and all taken away and overthrown and another People another Seed and more spiritual Church constituted and established in the room thereof And thus God dealt with this People i. e. the Church of the Jews also they were broken off or cut down and the Gentiles were grafted in as the Apostle shews at large Rom. 11. The Ax by which they are cut down may be First The Dispensation of God's Providence or Time Time is pictured with a Sythe but then Man is compared to Grass but it may be pictured with an Ax since Men are compared to Trees a Syth is no fit Instrument to cut down Trees Men as you have heard are here compared to Trees and when once the Time 's set for the Jewish Church to stand or abide in the World was expired Time or the Dispensation of God's Providence like an Ax cut it down for ever and so will the prefix'd Time appointed by the Lord when 't is come even cut down at the Root the bloody Idolatrous Church of Rome when the Beasts 1260 years are expired down she shall go with Vengeance and unless Time lays The Ax at her Root and at the Root of all other Corrupt and National Churches there will be no cutting them down nor will there be any then able to save her or them the standing of all Humane and Ecclesiastical States and Constitutions are determined by the Almighty who works all Things according to the Counsel of his own Will 2. The Ax also may referr to the Gospel The Word of God is an Ax