Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	believe_v	faith_n	heart_n	7,913	5	5.2011	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86928	An ansvver to Mr. Tombes his scepticall examination of infants-baptisme: wherein baptisme is declared to ingraft us into Christ, before any preparation: and the covenant of the gospel to Abraham and the gentiles is proved to be the same, extended to the gentiles children, as well as to Abrahams: together with the reason, why baptize children, is not so plainly set down in the gospel, as circumcise children, in the law, and yet the gospel more plain then the law. / By William Hussey, minister of Chislehurst in Kent.	Hussey, William, minister of Chiselhurst.	1646 (1646)	Wing H3815; Thomason E343_3; ESTC R200939	83,416	79

is estimated by God limited and extended according to the good pleasure of God Isai 48.17 I am the Lord thy God that teacheth thee to profit Paul plants Apollo watereth it is God that giveth the successe and if it should stand in that sense as a preparation to baptisme in the commission it must contain a manifest falshood or prove undeniably universall grace if they shall teach with profit all nations and baptize them or at least an universall nationall acceptation of the Gospell teaching with profit can admit of no milder sense then that and if every person must be taught with profit before he be baptized then none ought to be baptized but the elect of God and it were a sin for any Minister to baptize any other but such as received profit by the word the word worketh to the hurt of the reprobate whatsoever shew of profit it may seem to have 3. Reason That doctrine that taketh away the distinction of the two Sacraments that is a false doctrine but Anabaptisme doth take away the distinction of the two Sacraments ergo the doctrine of the Anabaptists is a false doctrine That doctrine that requireth preparation to both Sacraments taketh away the difference of the Sacraments but Anabaptists require preparation to both Sacraments therefore Anabaptists take away the difference of the Sacraments The difference doth consist in this that the Sacrament of baptisme is preparative to the Lords Supper sacramentally giving that to us which we stand in need of to make us fit for the Lords Supper I say sacramentally not that God cannot or doth not take his owne time of calling sometime before we are partaker of either Sacrament sometimes after we have both Sacraments yea and after we have sinfully prophaned the Lords Supper but Sacraments have their proper use and signification and are as all other duties lyable to abuse Wee must behave our selves as men under the meanes we have our duties charged upon us of God whereof some are officiall some personall belonging to every mans person about the performance of all which we may sinne either by omission or misuse but all the good that we receive by word or sacraments is of God what we doe by way of office that lyeth charged on us by the rule that we receive from God which is to baptize all Nations and teach them the successe is of God and the account of faith must be given to God we can take some account of some workes to wit those that are externall but of faith and of such workes as are imminent the thoughts of the heart we can say nothing to them Now the communion that is between Christ and us is set downe in Scripture by Christs being or dwelling in us and we in him we must first be in Christ before he can be in us we were in Christ by election before the foundation of the world and therefore may bee received into Christ before we can have faith nay we are said to be baptized into Christ Rom. 6.3 so many of you are baptized into Christ Jesus and the grace of baptisme is said to be wrought by the Spirit by the Spirit ye are baptized into one body 1 Cor. 12.13 and Gal. 3.27 As many as are baptized into Christ have put on Christ Christ is never said to be conveyed into us by baptisme but by faith Ephes 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith what is instrumentally ours by faith is sacramentally ours by the Lords supper he therefore that eateh Christ in the Lords supper Christ is in him Iohn 6.56 Hee that eateth my flesh dwelleth in me and I in him but Christ is never laid to be in us by baptisme but we are baptised into Christ he is not baptized into us but he is communicated into us in the Lords supper for which faith is required as a preparation and the habitation of Christ in us is ascribed to faith as a meanes as before that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith but our birth in Christ or regeneraion is not at all ascribed to faith but to the Spirit and water John 3.5 Except a man be born by water and the Spirit and to the Word 1 Cor. 4.15 I have begotten you through the Word but never are we said either to be born or begotten by faith the acts of faith are growth life and fruits of sanctification Joh. 6.35 Those that believe and come to Christ are said to eat and drink Christ For he that cometh unto Christ is promised he shall never hunger and he that believeth in him shall never thirst And this vertue is ascribed to the body and blood of Christ from whence Divines do justly gather that he that believeth doth eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ but no intimation in Scripture from whence any man can collect that he that believeth is baptized unlesse it be à posteriori For he that doth believe must first be baptized by the Spirit before he can believe and thus are the graces offered in the sacraments kept distinct which otherwise would be the same that the grace of baptisme is initiall that of the Lords supper is perfective which may further be manisted thus our calling hath two parts the proffer of grace and the acceptance of grace proffered The first is by the Word the Spirit and Baptisme the other is by the Word Spirit Faith and the Lords supper I have here added faith because the Scripture doth so making faith an instrument by which we receive Christ but Christ must be proffered to us by his Spirit and Word before we can receive him which is expressed in the word calling as distinct from justification and goeth before justification in which we have the first act of faith Rom. 8.30 Whom he predestinateth them he also called whom he called them he also justified we are not called by faith but we are justified by faith Rom. 2.28 and 5.1 Baptisme is the seal and sacrament of Gods work in us which had need to be most cleerly manifested and confirmed unto us as having most of God and least of us that we might submit to it wherunto we are most averse therefore what hath most of us in it that pleaseth us best as works better then faith and faith as we look on it in our selves as a qualification is more delightfull to us then as it is in its own nature working humiliation teaching us to deny our selves and rest on God men do use to magnifie faith but too many under a false apprehension even of secrecie and liberty before 〈◊〉 faith is not a boasting quality nor to be pleaded before men but God and this 〈◊〉 cap. 2. doth handle at large shewing that men are very inclinable to 〈◊〉 ●●o●st of faith before men and rely on works before God and herein the deceitfulnesse of our hearts is very great when we conceive we deal with an 〈◊〉 power then we finde the things of faith apprehended

most weakly of any thing we can please our selves better in the opinion of our works then of faith but when we come to deal with man we are sure we treat of colours before blind men there we can boldly talk we may speak as freely as travellers we cannot be disproved whereby it cometh to passe often times that heart that is least upright is most bold faith is indeed in time of need very heroick in her exploits in that she acteth by the power of God but ascribeth little of her best actions to her self she is alwayes conversant with God and therefore cannot but be conscious of much weaknesse and infirmity faith is so always loaden with difficulties that she hath very little to say of her self there must be great preparation on Gods part before there can be any sense or feeling in man of the things of faith there must be the mighty operation of the Word and Spirit and God is pleased to adde baptism too for faith to work upon these things are of mighty operation and so they had need considering the sloth of heart that is in us to believe it is well if after the Word and sacrament of baptisme faith do come God layeth it as a ground and foundation for faith to work upon and accordingly all the arguments of Scripture are to raise us to walk worthy of amendment of life and to rise with Christ Rom. 6. as if it should be said God hath offered you grace in baptisme therefore accept of it ye are born anew in baptisme let it appear in your conversation Argum. 4. That which maketh the admission into the Church meerly arbitrary that is a false doctrine but the doctrine of Anabaptists maketh admission into the Church meerly arbitrary Ergo the major is plain for that nothing is more directly contrary to the service of God then will-worship but denying any that are tendred according to the mind of Christ in the Word and requiring such disposition in the party to be baptized as the Minister pleaseth without any rule from Gods Word is to make the publike service of God or at least a great part of it wholly arbytrary and this doth appear to flow from their doctrine not yet any man durst affirm what was the measure of faith to be required how much he must believe that must be baptized by means whereof the whole matter dependeth on the will of the Baptizer a thing most contrary to the nature of Religion it cannot be imagined that the Holy Ghost would have been so silent in giving rules for the Ministers to walk by in the triall of the faith of the person to be baptized if any such charge had lain upon his office He must baptize believers only saith Mr. Tombes and the Anabaptists but no Scripture directeth what or how much he must believe must it be as much as the Minister shall think fit then some Ministers will baptize with very small triall others will be very hardly satisfied some will baptize as soon as the childe can be taught to say he believeth in Christ others not till ten or twelve others twenty yeers of age wherein no man can either satisfie his own conscience or any reasonable man for that he walketh without rules neither doth this difficulty from this doctrine come from accidental misconstructions or phansies but inevitable necessity from the doctrine it self that the Minister must baptize none but believers yet cannot tell how much or what he must believe before he be fit for baptisme unlesse he walk by rules of mans making without any intimation from Scripture 5. That doctrine that giveth man that power which is divine that doctrine is blasphemous and false but the doctrine of the Anabaptists giveth man that power which is divine therefore the doctrine of Anabaptists is blasphemous and false That doctrine that giveth man power to judge of faith in another that doctrine giveth man that power that is divine but the Anabaptist giveth men power to judge of faith in another therefore the Anabaptist that power that is divine Faith is in the heart with the heart man beleeveth to righteousnesse and with the mouth he confesseth to salvation Rom. 10.10 He therefore that judgeth of faith must judge the heart which is proper to God I the Lord try the heart Jer. 17.10 Neither will it serve his turne to say that he judgeth by rules of charity if this charge lay upon his office to judge charitably it is one thing another to judge ex officio for the judgement of charity can never pronounce the person so judged to be such as he is judged by charity to be judgements of charity are not alwaies true if it be possible we have warrant enough to judge it so by charity if children may possibly be such as the Kingdome of heaven doe belong too wee may in charity judge them such but if we are tyed by our office to baptize none but beleevers it will not serve turne to say we judge them such by charity to prove that we must baptize none but such as are beleevers seeing we may by charity judge many beleevers which yet are not beleevers againe judgement of faith is denied to belong to the Apostles themselves not that we have dominion of your faith 2 Cor. 1.24 If God had appointed Ministers to have judged of mens faith before they had baptized them he would have given them some rules by which they should have been able to walke which he hath not done he hath annexed baptisme to the Ministers calling to let men know that the grace of baptisme commeth immediatly from Christ therefore he sent the seale of it by that calling that came immediately from him but hath promised those officers of his no speciall qualifications whereby they shall have abilities to discern the faith of men more then other men have the judgement of charity is not a Ministeriall qualification that belongeth to every man and is no Ministeriall qualification 6. That doctrine that denieth the interpretation of the promise made to Abraham which S. Paul maketh that is a false doctrine but the doctrine of Anabaptists denieth the interpretation of the promise made to Abraham wch St. Paul maketh therfore the doctrine of the Anabaptists is false Those that deny the blessing of Abraham and in him of all the Nations of the earth to be the Gospel preached to Abraham in reference to the Gentiles after their call deny the interpretation that S. Paul maketh of the promise made to Abraham but the Anabaptists deny the blessing of Abraham and in him of all the Nations of the earth to be the Gospell preached to Abraham in reference to the Gentiles after their call therefore the Anabaptists deny the interpretation made to Abraham which S. Paul maketh the words of S. Paul are plain Gal. 3.8 the Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the heathen through faith preached before the Gospel unto Abraham saying In thee shall all Nations be

instance after the resurrection is Acts 2.41 they that gladly received the Word of God were baptized and why should they not did ever any deny that such as received the Word of God should be baptized and these are they saith Mr. Tombes to whom he said vers 39. the promise belongeth to you and to your children added three thousand souls yet never a child baptized men may as well say never a man or never a woman from the word souls an Infant may be called a soul as well as men or women but saith Mr. Tombes the Text saith those that received the Word were baptized doth it say their children were not but Mr. Tombes confesseth they were the same persons that gladly received the Word of God unto whom Peter had said the promise did belong to them and their children that was the Word they gladly received And Saint Peter inferreth from this that the promise did belong to them that they should therefore be baptized because the promise did belong to them Now if this argument from the promise was good concerning them why is it not as good for their children and if they received the word of the promise gladly for themselves it is likely if it had been denied them in respect of their children they would some of them have had the boldnesse to have asked it for their children and said Peter you told us of the promise that it belonged to our children to as well as us and you told us that that was a good reason why wee should be baptized and accordingly we are baptised why should not that be a ground for our children to be baptized also we know no reason why that should be a reason for us to be baptized and not for them You tell us the promise doth belong to them as well as to us as for the limitation of as many as the Lord shall call that is to be referred to them that are afarre off not to us afarre off is opposed to them that are neare Ephesians 2 13. You that were farre off are made nigh by the bloud of Christ farre off signifieth them that are not yet called nigh them that are called to looke on the words in their originall sense we do not use to call them that are nigh already but them that are afarre off that they may come nigh and this appeareth plainly to be the sense by that here are severall subjects of the promise you are the subject of the promise and your children and they that are farre off You are not your children your children are not you you nor your children are not afarre off they that are afarre off must be called that they may be nigh that so the promise may belong to you all that so ye may all be baptized What Mr. Goodwins fancie is Mr. T. doth not tell us nor have I seen or heard but cannot be denied that the word soules doe comprehend men women and children for though there be some difference in their bodies yet they agree all in this that they be soules taken for persons though for my part I will not argue from hence that children were baptized yet I say from hence is clearly evinced that children have a right and interest to baptisme because to the promise and that as clearly as any thing can be for that which is a cause producing an effect in one subject will produce the same effect in another posita causa ponitur effectus rationale est risible is as true in children as in men he to whom the promise doth belong may be baptized is as true in children as in men if the promise doth belong to them both as the text plainly saith it doth and the pointing of the Greeke text doth plainly declare this to be the meaning of the words for there is no point between you and your children but between children and them that are afarre off to shew the promise belonged to them and their children in their present condition to them that are afarre off after their call where note that the promise is to bee understood in the externall or internall consideration according to the externall Sacraments have their administration amongst men which tearmes ye have applyed to Jews and circumcision Rom. 2.29 He is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in Spirit and not the Letter whose praise is not of men but of God the Letter saith God will be the God of Abraham and his seed but the spirit saith that he will be so to the elect and faithfull The Letter saith every male shall be circumcised the Spirit saith that circumcision is no circumcision which is outward but that which is of the heart the Letter looketh on the family of Abraham either by generation or by communion the Spirit on a remnant only according to the election of grace● the Letter requireth circumcision or cutteth off some say Goodwins antiq Ainsworth in locum the parent some say the child for the neglect thus externall performance hath its praise or dispraise of men but that of the Spirit hath its praise not of men but of God To this latter only faith and repentance is required or rather both circumcision of the heart and baptisme of the heart are nothing else but faith and repentance which God can judge and praise not man and thus the promise according to the Letter did belong to those Jews to whom Peter spake even before their effectuall call and this Peter urgeth to them as a motive to move them to be baptized as if he should have said upon this ground ye were circumcised and now upon the same ground ye may be baptized it is true we are not only Ministers of the Letter but of the Spirit and therefore we preach faith and repentance as requisite to your baptisme of the Spirit but you must give account of that to God and not to us we can take no account of it we are not Lords and Judges of your faith we preach all the duties that belong to the inward man but administer sacraments and guide our charity towards our brethren by outward rules it must satisfie us if you will come and claim your interest to the promise both for your selves and your children we must baptize you and your children we will teach what account ye must make to God of your faith and repentance how you must bring up your children in the feare of God but we can take account of none of these things The next place of Scripture which he taketh in to this confutation is Acts 8.12 by which he proveth that the Apostles did not take in whole families at once because the whole City of Samaria we prove a personall account of all to be baptized was not required because they were taken in by whole families in the Apostles time and Mr. Tombes confuseth this by saying they were taken in by whole cities I like such confutations Next out of

seed of Isaac for the promise did not belong to Esau that was the seed of Isaac for that though he were the seed of Isaac yet he was not in Isaac that is he was not inserted into Isaac as a type of Christ by faith and therefore the seed must be so understood that the promise might belong to all the seed Rom. 4.16 not to that which is of the Law only but that which is of the faith of Abraham not to them only which were circumcised according to Law but to believers though not circumcised that is after circumcision was taken away by appointment of God For though circumcision was not so naturall and essentiall to the promise that it was enough at any time to entitle any to the promise without faith yet virtute institutionis divina was not to be omitted untill God took it away for the promise was not to Abraham through the Law therefore not through circumcision which was a legall right but 〈◊〉 the righteousnesse of faith vers 13. to let us know that it was not any 〈◊〉 rite or sacrament that can intitle to the promise it doth but externally 〈◊〉 the vertue of Christs blood and by it the circumcision of the 〈…〉 the sight of God is the only circumcision Rom. 2.29 He is a Jew 〈…〉 and circumcision is of the heart in the Spirit not in the 〈…〉 not of men but of God All this while the Scripture treateth 〈…〉 Abraham in the estimation of God God accounteth none the seed 〈◊〉 Abraham but in Christ none heirs of the promise but in Christ none circum●●●●●● 〈◊〉 them that are in Christ and therefore saith Rom. 2.28 that is not cir 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 in the flesh and this ex regula de nullo Again ex 〈…〉 all that are in Christ Jesus that is believers are the seed of Abraham heirs of the promise circumcised in heart but these have their estimation and praise not of m●n but of God and these are equally denied and affirmed to Abrahams s●●d and Gent●●es according as they are believers or not believers 〈◊〉 without any respect a● all to Abrahams seed according to the flesh so that Abrahams 〈◊〉 had no right at all to any part of the promise in the estimation of 〈◊〉 they did not 〈◊〉 and therefore Rom. 9.8 they that are the children of the 〈◊〉 that is Abrahams fresh are not the children of God the children of the promise a● accounted for the seed and therefore in Gen. 12.3 the Lord did make the promise not to Abraham and his seed only but from Abraham he derived the blessing upon all the families of the earth all the families of the earth were blessed in Abraham Or as Gen. 22.18 all nations are blessed in the seed of Abraham and therefore do Interpreters interpret that former by thee that is in thy seed and all that are in Christ are plainly the heirs of the promise and none but they Abraham in honour and title was called the fountain of the blessing but in de●d and truth not Abraham but Christ for Abraham himself was blessed in Christ not in himself as Christ was Christ was only blessed and justified in and for his own holinesse by the works of the Law inherent in himself So that Mr. Tombes his division of Abrahams seed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christs spirituall seed believers naturall seed is most inartificiall many of his naturall seed were spirituall also Abrahams seed must be divded into equivocall and univocall equivocall seed Christ for that he was not like Abraham he was of Abraham but ex parte according to the flesh Rom. 1.3 He was Abrahams Lord as well as his son his Saviour as well as his seed he was the promised seed not the seed unto ●●●●om the promise did belong as the seed of Abraham but that seed that was the fountain of blessing to Abraham and all other his seed and therefore Christ was the blessing it self the promise that was made to Abraham and his seed was through the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 4.13 but the blessing came not on Christ through the righteousnesse of faith seeing the righteousnesse of faith is derivative from Christ to Abraham Christs righteousnesse was primitive in himselfe and that very righteousnesse that became Abrahams by faith and therefore is Christ the inheritance of Abraham and all the faithfull seed Esay 42.6 he is called the Covenant of the people and a light to the Gentiles Secondly Abrahams univocall seed were like unto himselfe in relation to the promise the word seed in the promise I will be thy God and the God of thy seed is only the faithfull nothing belonging to the seed of Abrahams flesh but so as they are faithfull nor excluding any Nation or family or person in the earth so as faithfull as for Abrahams seed according to the flesh if not faithfull non est nostri instituti it is not belonging to the doctrine of the Promise to consider of them at all Rom. 2.29 they were not to be reckoned among the circumcised by God Now for the particular application of this promise to this Nation or that in one age to the family of Abraham according to the flesh in another age to the Gentiles in one age under the seale of circumcision in another of Baptisme sometimes to give a Nation the means of Grace Word and Sacraments sometimes to lead them away into captivity these things were ordered according to the particular determination and purpose of God though God did in a more peculiar manner blesse the seed of Abraham then other Nations with the enjoyment of Word and Sacraments and other blessings yet they had them together with the land of Canaan and the place of Gods worship only on conditions of faith and obedience as in Deut. 28. and 29. chapters and by the many threatnings of removall of them by the Prophets and their actuall captivities may appear so that these graces of faith and obedience come on this or that Nation or person according to the purpose of Gods will as likewise effectuall operation of the Word and the particular effect of the Sacrament under the means of Word and Sacraments wholly depend on the mercy of God according to the election of grace Men are to administer the outward rite and sacrament according to the ordination of God God by his Spirit bestoweth his grace and with-holdeth it from whom he pleaseth The Jewes were tyed to the eight day to signe the flesh with circumcision but it was God that circumcised the heart without which the circumcision of the flesh was no circumcision in the estimation of God as Rom. 2.28 which man cannot nor ought to take notice of it is the way of God no man knoweth it it is God that giveth the new name that no man knoweth but he that hath it Those that have this inward grace of circumcision are called and accounted by God for the seed of Abraham but whom must Abraham for his part