Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	apostle_n	law_n	zion_n	61	3	9.5563	4	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

be my people ver 33. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord c. Pray observe in the Old Covenant Infants were Members who did not when taken into that Covenant and made Members of that legal Church know the Lord nor indeed their right Hand from their left Therefore they when grown up had need to be taught saying Know the Lord and thus upon this Account every one had need to teach his Neighbour and his Brother but in the Gospel Covenant God saith it should not be thus for that all whom he would make that Covenant with should know him before they were received as Members of that Church tho' afterwards 't is granted they stand in need of further teaching And in this respect the Gospel Covenant and Gospel Church State differs or is not according to the Old legal and external Covenant and Church State of the Jews as well as in other things that being a conditional Covenant the New Covenant Absolute I will and they shall that was a Covenant of Works this of Grace c. They shall all know me from the least to the greatest not one Infant then be sure is in it as a Member of the Gospel Church they are now required to repent to believe to bring forth fruits meet for re●entance They must be made Disciples by Teaching as appears by the great Commission Mat. 28 19 20. before Baptized who are to be Members of the Gospel Church Arg. 5. The Covenant of Circumcision could not be the Gospel Covenant because the Terms of it runs according to the Sinai Covenant which is said not to be of faith but 1 the man that doth those things should live in them Gal. 3. 22. 2 Life was promised to Obedience to it and Death threatned to Disobedience 3 The Promise of the Sinai Covenant was the Land of Canaan Riches Peace and Prosperity to be Blessed in the Basket and Store and so runs the Covenant of Circumcision see Gen. 17. 9 10 14. Thou shalt keep my covenant c. and I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee the land of Canaan c. ver 8. And the uncircumcised man-child whose flesh of his fore-skin is not circumcised that Soul shall be cu● off from his People he hath broken my Covenant ver 14. Thus ran the Law and Covenant of Circumcision it was Life upon the Condition of Obedience Death upon Disobedience 't was do and live but thus runs not the Terms of the New Covenant but directly contrarywise believe and thou shalt be saved are the Terms of the Gospel Covenant from whence I shall draw this Argument That Covenant that was in the Nature and Quality of it as much a Covenant of Works as the Sinai Covenant could not be the Covenant of Grace But so was the Law and Covenant of Circumcision Therefore Circumcision was no Gospel Law or Covenant Arg. 6. The Covenant of Circumcision was of the Letter and not of the Spirit This the Apostle lays down Rom. 3. 29. But he is not a Jew which is one outward and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of man but of God Doth he not clearly hereby intimate that Circumcision of the Flesh was of the Law and not of the Gospel for by Letter the Law is meant all Expositors confess in that paralell Text 2 Cor. 5. Who hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the letter but of the spirit see our late worthy Annotators by the Letter Here say they the Apostle understandeth the Law or the Law is called the Letter Rom. 2. 27. Who by the letter and Circumcision doth transgress the Law The Law say they in opposition to the Gospel is called the Letter and again they say the Gospel is called the Spirit both in opposition to the carnal Ordinances of the Law and because Christ is the Matter Subject and Argument of it The Law kills but the Gospel gives Life yet some affirm that Law written in Stones was the Gospel or a dark ministration of it What Law is it then that kills and what was the Covenant of Works which as such is taken away But no more of that here 't is plain Circumcision was not of the Spirit i. e. not of the Gospel but of the Law Arg. 7. That Covenant in which Faith was not reckoned to Abraham for Righteousness was not the Covenant of Grace or a Gospel Covenant But the Apostle shews us That Faith was not reckoned to Abraham in Circumcision Rom. 4. That faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness vers 9. How then was it reckoned when he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision not in circumcision but in uncircumcision ver 10. What need was there for St. Paul to argue thus against Circumcision if it were as our Brethren say a Gospel Law Precept or Covenant and remarkable 't is that the Apostle puts in this Chapter the Law and Circumcision together as being of one stamp or of the same nature and excludes them both from the free Promise of God made to Abraham which I have shew'd was the Pure Gospel or New Covenant Reader see Mr. Philip Cory's Solemn Call where thou wilt meet with this and some other of these Arguments largely opened and his Reply to Mr. Flavel both worth thy reading Arg. 8. The Law or Covenant of Circumcision is as the said worthy Writer observes contrary distinguished or opposed by the Apostle in Rom. 4. to the Covenant of Faith or Gospel Covenant therefore could not be one nor of the same Nature read 9 10 11 12 13 and 14 verse● Arg. 9. That Covenant or Precept that profited none unless they kept the Law could not belong to the Covenant of Grace but so the Apostle speaks of Circumcision For circumcision verily profiteth if thou keep the law Rom. 2. 25. That is as I have observed if thou keep the Law perfectly but if thou break the law thy circumcision is made uncircumcision that is of none effect 'T is strange to me that Circumcision should be a Gospel Covenant and yet not profit any unless they perfectly kept the Law and also obliged them so to do Gal. 5. 3. Could a Man have perfectly kept the Law of the Old Covenant he might have thereby been justified in the sight of God and then no need of a Christ to have fulfilled the Righteousness of it for us and in our nature But doth a Gospel Precept oblige any to the perfect keeping of the whole Law How then could this be a Gospel Precept O see how the Law and Circumcision agree and comport together in their nature end use and design and never plead for it as a Gospel Precept any more unless you have a mind to bring your Selves and Children under the

to hew and square some Persons for God's spiritual Building and to cut down others also as Trees that are Rotten and bear no good Fruit Therefore saith the Lord I have hewn them by the Prophets and what follows mark it I have slain them by the words of my Mouth Hos. 6 5. The Word of God either kills or cures 't is either a saviour of Life unto Life or the saviour of Death unto Death 2. Cor. 2. 16. Like as Sweet-Meats are to some Pleasant and Comfortable and to others Pernicious and Deadly The Abuse of Gospel Grace cut the Jews down and so it will all others who slight and contemn it the Word either softens or hardens like as the Sun who shining on the Wax it softens that but shining on the Clay it hardens that When the Word comes in Judgment then 't is like an Ax in the Hand of God's Justice I find one Learned Man speaking thus on this Place viz. The Word of God which is a spiritual Ax cutteth down spiritually Wicked Men and Hypocrites like rotten and barren Trees This is it which is elsewhere meant by plucking up destroying hardening c. Some saith he expound this not of spiritual Judgments threatned in his Word against impenitent Sinners but of the Power of the Romans which were the Instruments of God to destroy utterly the unfaithful and wicked Generation of the Jews The former is saith he the best Exposition but I conceive it may referr to both 3. The Ax may refer to Men whom God makes use of as Instruments in his Hand to cut down and destroy a Wicked and God-provoking People Hence wicked Rulers and Kings whom God raises up as Instruments in his Hand to chastise and cut down a rebellious People are called His Sword and the Rod of his Wrath and Indignation Psal. 17. 14. Arise O Lord disappoint him cast him down deliver my Soul from the wicked which is thy Sword And thus the Assyrian were an Ax in God's Hand to use as he pleased and the Romans afterwards to the Jews likewise Moreover God's Israel is called his Ax Thou art my Battel-Ax and Weapons of War with thee I will break in pieces the Nations and with thee will I destroy Kingdoms God's People in the last Days which are now very near shall be his Ax by whom as Instruments in his Hand he will destroy Babylon Jer. 51. 20 24. And I will render unto Babylon c. all the evil they have done to Sion in your sight saith the Lord. Reward her as she hath rewarded you double to her double Rev. 18. 6. Give her Blood to drink for she is worthy The Stone cut out of the Mountains without Hands shall break to pieces all the Powers of the Earth that oppose Christ's Kingdom or that stand in the way of its Establishment Dan. 3. 34. 44. 4. By the Ax may in the general be meant God's Wrath however it is or may be executed or upon whom Wrath will sooner or later cut down all the Ungodly both false Churches and tyrannical Powers of the Earth and all who continue in Unbelief and in Rebellion against God The laying the Ax to the Root discovers the final Fall and Ruin of Sinners whether considered as a Church or as particular Persons dig up or cut down the Root and down falls the Body and all the Branches of the Tree Fifthly and Lastly Therefore every Tree that bringeth not forth good Fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the Fire Now he draws a necessary Inferrence and Conclusion from the Premisses Every Tree that is every Man and Woman or every Corrupt Church be they who they will either Jew or Gentile Babylonian or Christian if not Plants of God's planting if not Fruitful to God if they Answer not his Design and End if they bring not forth good Fruit they shall be hewn down and cast into the Fire of external and eternal Wrath a Fire saith the Lord is kindled in my anger and it shall burn to the lowest Hell Wrath ceases and shall cease on them here but at last they shall be cast into Hell-fire where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched Mark 9. 46. 1. The Words being thus opened and explained I shall take notice of two or three Points of Doctrine 1. Doct. Now the Dispensation is changed to be of the natural Root or of the National Church of the Jews or the Seed of Abraham according to the Flesh as such is no Ground of Church-Membership or 't is no Argument to be admitted into the Gospel Church or to Gospel-Baptism 2. Doct. Now in the times of the Gospel God is and will be severe with all ungodly unbelieving and impenitent Sinners he strikes at their Root at the Root of all their Hopes false Faith or fleshly Confidence whatsoever 'T is the first of these Propositions I shall in the first place insist upon and as I may be enabled explain and prosecute amongst you but the Time being near gone let me now with a brief word or two conclude at this Season 1. Caution Take heed on what you build your Hopes of Justification and Salvation what is that which bears up your Spirits for if you are Trees that grow not out of the true root Jesus Christ and the Covenant of Grace if you have not Union with the Lord Jesus or are not built on that Foundation or Corner-stone God hath laid in Sion down you fall for now the ax is laid to the Root of the Trees 2. Enquiry Is not Morality a civil and honest Life Doing to all as you would be done unto the Ground or Foundation of your Hopes Do you build upon this if it be so tremble remember Christ saith Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God Joh. 3. 3. If you have no other Ground of Hope but from your own Moral Righteousness when Death comes with his Ax down you will go and be cast into the Fire 3. Consider All you prophane and ungodly Ones what is that which bears your Hopes up what do you build upon is it not on the mere Mercy of God or Death of Christ God say you is gracious slow to anger and we therefore have Hopes and do trust to that Christ dyed for Sinners c. You say right God is mercifull but what then will you therefore presumptuously go on in ungodly and wicked Courses oh know he is just as well as gracious and will in no wise clear the guilty Exod. 34. 7. Except ye repent therefore ye shall all likewise perish Luk. 13. 3. 5. Shall the Goodness of God which should lead you to Repentance be thus evilly improved i. e. to strengthen your Hands and encourage you to sin against him and provoke him 'T is I fear with you as Solomon speaks Eccl. 8. 11. Because Sentance against an evil Work is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in them to do