Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	babylon_n	inhabitant_n	zion_n	21	3	9.5325	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85551	Truths victory against heresie; all sorts comprehended under these ten mentioned: 1. Papists, 2. Familists, 3. Arrians, 4. Arminians, 5. Anabaptists, 6. Separatists, 7. Antinomists, 8. Monarchists. 9. Millenarists, 10. Independents. As also a description of the truth, the Church of Christ, her present suffering estate for a short time yet to come; and the glory that followeth at the generall resurrection. / By I.G. a faithfull lover and obeyer of the truth. Imprimatur, John Downame.	Graunt, John, of Bucklersbury.	1645 (1645)	Wing G1597; Thomason E277_7; ESTC R200005	70,586	79

with him in his throne yea in his owne throne In the second place this Masculine title notes out unto us the birth-right and inheritance that by right belongs unto the Church of God that as the first-born man-child is the heir apparent both by Scripture and nature so the Lords first-born is the apparent heir of the purchased inheritance and to this truth doth the Apostle witnesse in these words Rom. 8. 17. If children then heirs heirs with God and joynt heirs with Christ heirs of salvation Heb. 1. 14. Heirs according to the promise Gal. 3. 29. Heirs according to the hope of eternall life Tit. 3. 7. Heirs of the kingdome which hee hath promised to them that love him James 2. 5. Oh how sweet and comfortable are the words I could alwayes be mindfull of them yea of this word heirs of the kingdome which hee hath promised c. which now calls me to mind of my promise at first to describe in its due place the stone that was cut out without hands which smote the Image upon his feet which became a great mountain and filled the whole earth c. This term Mountain in the Scriptures sets forth unto us often literally the hils or highest parts of the earth but figuratively the greatest powers that are in this world or that to come and sometimes by mountain we are to understand such carnall and naturall men as have high thoughts and great esteem of themselves and therefore as it is prophesied of John the Baptist Isa. 40. 3 4. so it was fulfilled by him Luke 3. 4. who by the great gifts given him of God to work repentance whereby he prepared the Lords way and turned the disobedient to the wisdome of the just and of the operation of his Ministerie it is said Every mountain and hill was brought low c. meaning that the hearts of disobedient naturall men were made penitent and their high thoughts humbled Also by the term mountain wee are to understand all those great powers dignities and authorities that have risen up and born sway in this world ever since the creation thereof and amongst the rest those Monarchies especially at the beginning of our Discourse particularly named and with them all nations and Religions Papists and others as well Christians as Pagans that have at all times hated persecuted and destroyed the Saints the Church of Christ and with this truth the Prophet Jeremiah was well acquainted in saying in the name of the Lord that hee would render unto Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evill that they had done to Sion Behold I am against thee O destroying mountain saith the Lord which destroyedst all the earth c. Jer. 51. 24 25. and again Who art thou O great mountain thou shalt be made a plain Zac. 4 7. And for this cause even for the great oppression of his servants and people will the Lord shortly go forth as a mighty man he shall stir up jealousie like a man of war hee shall cry yea roare hee shall prevail against his enemies mightily and although he have been long silent and held his peace and restrained himself all this world long and hath suffered his own wife and little children to be afflicted with judgement from all the powers and authorities that have ruled in the earth yet now it is neer at hand that he that shall come will come and will not tarry but will destroy and devour at once all the mountains and hils that have desolated his own little holy hill of Sion Isa. 42. 13 14 15. Psal. 2. 6. And this holy hill of Sion which David speaks of is the small stone cut out of the mountain without hands that Daniel so long before saw in a Vision which became so great a mountain that it brake to pieces the gold the silver the brasse the iron the clay that no place was found for them for ever hereafter Now the holy Scribe Ezra is shewed what the mountain cut out without hands is 2 Ezr. 13. 35. that it is Sion the Church of God and her King the Son of God standing on the top of this mount Sion a posture of Majesty belonging only to a King and that this King should without sword or lifting up his hand or any instrument of war destroy the multitudes that came out to fight against him with a blast of fire sent out of his mouth and out of his lips a flaming breath and sparkles and tempest cast out with his tongue vers. 10. and the torments are like to a flame and their destruction shall be with the law that is like unto fire v. 38. And the peaceable multitude are the ten Tribes carried away by Salmaneser king of Assyria now both their carrying into captivity past long ago and their return which is not yet brought to passe are a lively type of the Saints captivity both of Jewes and Gentiles in the Churches pressures and sufferings and of their deliverance and salvation also as likewise the set-time to be in the day of the Lord Jesus his coming and revealing v. 28. to the 50. compared with 2 King 17. And farther it filled the whole earth saith the Text Dan. 2. 34. Observe the Prophets expression that the holy mountain of the Lord at the first was seen to be a stone cut out without hands which cleerly deciphereth unto us the true nature of the Church of Christ in her first and suffering condition the ten Tribes captivity in their estate of regeneration by which shee is made a holy living spirituall stone-house and so made or fashioned not by mans hands or any humane power as all the fleshly Synagogues of this world are but cut out and made without hands as that Tabernacle which God doth build and not man which is the true Church or Tabernacle Heb. 8. 2. And as I have often touched before continually all this life long suffers under those that are evill and malignant truly so called wherefore the Lord by the Prophet comforts this holy Church and mother of truth for a moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee in a little wrath have I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer And again Oh thou afflicted and tossed with tempest I will speak it again ●ossed with tempest here 's a word that sets out the suffering of truth with her children to the full even so tossed with the storme and tempest of affliction as a ship is tossed with the roaring and raging waves of the seas or as a ball is tossed and beaten up and down both by hand and foot Isa. 54. Now as the Prophet Daniel by the dreame of the King did understand the day of small things concerning the Churches condition in her estate of regeneration so also he saw the great and glorious power and soveraignty its dominion and magnitude in its deliverance

of the Elects called and sanctified estate in Christ by regeneration shewes plainly you do not know what it is to be a Christian indeed and truly for if you did you would know this truth undoubtedly that they that trust in the Lord are as mount Sion which cannot be removed but abideth for ever as testifieth the Prophet Psal. 135. 1. and the Apostle gives the reason of it because the chief corner stone thereof is Christ that holy chosen and precious One and whosoever he be that believeth on him shall not be confounded 1 Pet. 2. 6. And this doctrine is that which our Lord himself hath taught us Vpon this rock saith he I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 16. 18. Marke what greater contrary power can there be then the gates of hell and yet that even the strength of all the powers of the Devill shall not be able to do that which you affirm they shall and the reason thereof our Lord himself gives Joh. 10. 27 28 29. My sheep heare my voyce and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternall life and they shall never perish neither shall any pluck them out of my hand my father which gave them me is greater then all and no man is able to pluck them out of my fathers hand I and my Father are one And that great experienced man of the love of God even above the rest of his fellowes speaking of the blessed estate of the regenerated Elect 1 Pet. 1. 2 3 4 5. saith They were elected according to the fore-knowledge of God begotten again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to a glorious undefiled inheritance of which it is impossible we should fail of who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation and those sweet words of our Lord are of efficacy to gain the most contrary heart to the belief of this truth Joh. 17. 11. Holy Father keep through thy holy name those that thou hast given mee that they may be one as we are one Now Arminius see the sure and certain estate of a regenerated Christian so sure as God is sure and unchangeable as Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever eternall as the Holy Ghost even so are they that are made one with God who truly have fellowship with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ 1 Joh. 1. 3. For he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one as brethren are one Heb. 2. 11. and as the tree and the branches are one Joh. 15. 5. even so is Christ and the regenerated man Oh happy are the people that are in such a case Heres At the first I thought what we should find of you but now I have ready a multitude of Scriptures to shew to you that which I maintain to be truth and by them I shall discover you I hope to be untruth The first place is Ezek. 18. 24. When the righteous man turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquity and dyeth in them he shall die for the iniquity he hath done again our Lord himself saith Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He that is God taketh away that is cutteth off from the Vine Joh. 15. 2. And many of Christs Disciples were offended at the truth of his doctrine and turned away or went backe that is left him for ever Joh. 6. 66. others received the Word gladly and indured for a while believers but when tribulation and persecution did arise because of the Word they were offended and fell away Mat. 13. 21. Lake 8. 13. yea the Apostle is more particular Hebr. 6. 4 5 6. for he speaks of such as were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and had tasted of the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come and yet notwithstanding all this to fall away as not to be renewed again by repentance yea the same Apostle sheweth farther Heb. 10. 29. that a man may be sanctified by the blood of the Testament and afterwards tread under foot the Son of God and count the same blood as an unholy thing and despite the Spirit of Grace And St. Peter 2 Pet. 18. 19 20. speaks of some that were clean escaped from the corruptions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and yet after this to be intangled and overcome again whose latter end is worse then their beginning these and many more are the ground of my doctrine Truth And secondly I answer these Scriptures rightly understood make nothing at all for the maintenance of your error but in truth it teacheth us that we ought heedfully to observe the distinction in one and the same terme which must be generally and really observed throughout the Scriptures which hereafter I shall more fully discover when any of the Anabaptists shall speak and in the mean while I pray consider of the terms in those Scriptures you have alledged as the term faith to believe the Word the affection of joy and gladnesse in the knowledge of it a relish and taste of the sweetnesse and goodnesse in it for the present with some apprehension of the glorious things of the world to come and through the operations of its working in those that received it as that it is said they were washed and sanctified and yet afterwards never the better for all this nay worse at last then at first for it shall aggravate their condemnation this shewes plainly that the new and living way of life is set open unto all by the generall and particular administration of the Gospel and that men by the common gifts of the Spirit may attain to many excellent graces even beginnings to the peculiar and speciall gifts to which whosoever attaineth shall never fall and perish which differing effect of the Gospel is cleerly set forth unto us in the foure grounds mentioned by our Lord the Seeds-man was one and the same and the seed it self was so also and yet took not the same effect in all although it was sowne and cast into them all The high-way side were hard hearted ignorant men whose hearts had not earth to cover the seed and the wicked one came and stole it away in the thorny and stony ground it sprung up into a blade in the one it fail'd because it could not take root for stones in the other because the thornes choakt it the good ground never failed because the seed took deep root the hard way was broken up and ploughed so that the seed was covered that the fowls of the air could not find it to steel it the stones could not hinder the taking root downwards for they were cast out by repentance nor the thornes choake it in springing upwards for the pleasures of this world and the cares of unrighteous riches are both forsaken so that the happy successe and prosperity of it

expresse in this point I would they were cut off that trouble you Gal. 5. 12. I pray do not the fore-named false and lying spirits preach another Gospel another God another Christ and so fall within that rule of Moses Deut. 13. 5. that Prophet and that dreamer of dreames that perswadeth from our true God to a false shall be put to death according to that holy Prophets commission Ezra 7. 26. that whosoever would not do the Law of God and the King execution shall be made upon them whether unto death or unto banishment or confiscation of goods or imprisonment Oh remember Gods own hand against such blasphemous gain-sayers and withstanders of God and man Numb. 6. the earth opened its mouth and buried them alive their tents wives children cattell and all that pertained to them Wherefore give unto God the things that are Gods and to Cesar the things that are Cesars do not build Babel again under pretence of conscience and learn this truth that you must needs be subject to all lawfull rules lawes and orders not only for wrath but also for conscience sake Rom. 13. 5. Now for as much as upon true triall all of you of all sorts that are not born of God are plainly proved to be none of Gods house none of Christs Church nor the Temple of the Holy Ghost therefore that she may more apparently appear to your understanding I shall indevour to make a brief description of her her children The Scripture speaks of her sometimes by the name of a man and sometimes under the name and appellation of a woman and at other times in the Neuter gender either he or she in these words They overcame him with the blood of the Lamb c. They loved not their lives unto the death hee said unto them on his right hand Come yee blessed of my Father c. and abundance the like Scriptures by which terms either sex is to be understood now where the Scriptures set forth unto us the Saints and Church of Christ in the Feminine gender under the name and title of a woman then it notes unto us her fruitfulnesse in bringing forth unto God as well as unto men Jerusalem from above is the mother of us all Gal. 4. 26. Of us all that is of all those that are born of God which birth is spirituall and heavenly as before hath been shewed and in this sense she brings forth fruit unto God also Rom. 7. 4. And to men Gods elected servants shee is a nursing mother with bowels of compassion she hath two breasts full of sincere milk for her little ones that are young and for her strong and elder children shee hath stronger meat she killeth for them her beasts she hath wine and bread she furnishes her table Prov. 9. with a feast of fat things a feast of wines on the lees of fat things full of marrow Isa. 25. 6. The fruit of the rightous is a tree of life and they that turn souls unto God are wise Prov. 11. 30. The children of this woman are the children of Wisdome our Lord speaks of who only are they that can testifie to the truth These are the wise that shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and these are they that turn many unto righteousnesse who shall be hereafter as glorious as the stars for ever and ever this is she whom God calls Sion and Jerusalem that bringeth glad tidings even the joyfull voyce the people in whose heart is Gods Law and covenant of life for ever in and by them preserved for they are the keepers of his truth and as they know the truth so they preach it and declare it it is a fountain in them Out of their bellies do flow rivers of water of life so also it is a store-house a magazine of the Lords provision abundance a plenty of things old and new this good man out of the treasury of his good heart bringeth forth that which is good this housholder is the Scribe instructed unto the kingdome of heaven who bringeth forth of his treasury things new and old their fountain is their own and not anothers it is only this spirituall and heavenly woman the Church of Christ who unfoldeth and maketh known to the world the manifold wisdom of God Eph. 3. 10. which woman sometimes according to the grace given her is called a holy woman a pure undefiled chast virgin behold these are my mother saith the Lord himself and sometimes gloriously described there appeared in heaven saith St. John a great wonder a woman clothed with the Sun and the Moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars great with child travelling in birth with pain ready to be delivered Rev. 12. 1 2. Observe this woman is continually fruitfull still increasing still big travelling and bringing forth unto God and as she is thus glorious in regard of her graces so in regard of her sorrows and sufferings she is called a barren woman by such harlots as call themselves the wife of Christ who not knowing the low the spirituall the humble penitent poor condition of the true Spouse despise her hate and contemn her as Hagar the bond-māid did her Mistress Sarah the free-woman and report of her that is the Lords love and delight as desolate and forsaken of her husband even a despicable and forlorn widow and shall so be accounted of all that are filthy till her sufferings are ended even as the off-scouring of the earth This holy Church of Christ is also described unto us in the Scripture under the Masculine appellation a man the first-born a man-child Israel saith the Lord by the Prophet is my first-born Deut. 4. 23. Let my son go saith the Lord for Israel is my son my first-born vers. 22. I am a father to Israel saith the Lord and Ephraim is my first-born Jer. 31. 9. where by Israel and Ephraim God means his faithfull chosen people his Church so the first and primitive fruit of the Church under the Gospel is called a man-child Rev. 12. 5. And shee brought forth a man-child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron Now this name or appellation of the Church notes out unto us two things First the honour and dignity of the Church that although now in this life they suffer and go by the worst of all carnall and outward Christians yet in the time to come they shall receive the self-same honour which to their Lord alone and in chief belongeth And as they shall have the same honour with their Lord Mat. 19. Rev. 2. so the Lord is pleased to be called by their title also Psal. 89. 27. I will make him my first-born higher then the Kings of the earth and then he speaks of his Church vers. 29. His seed also will I make to indure for ever and his throne as the dayes of heaven where he will place his Church with himself for evermore Mat. 9. 28. Rev. 2. 27.

of the Ministery for the building or edifying the body of Christ Ephes. 4. 11 12. 1 Cor. 3. 10. for as the Spirit of God by the ministery of his servants prepares and sanctifies them so he unites and cements them to have communion one with another in spirituall fellowship and this workmanship in the Lord is called in Gods Word the Church of Christ his House his Tabernacle his Body his Spouse his Temple the pillar and ground of truth the place of his dwelling purchased cleansed purified and sanctified by his own precious blood called and gathered by the power of his Word made to live by the spirit of his mouth having communion and fellowship by the Holy Ghost growing up together in holinesse as branches in one stock or root being members of one and the same body of which Christ is head as truly and really in a spirituall sense as the head of a man is naturally the head of the whole body confisting of many members Now notwithstanding all this that hath been said of the true Church and ten times more that might be spoke yet these false-ignorant carnall and fleshly builders those dirt-daubers have at all times taken upon them with all boldnesse without any blushing to affirm their wooden dirty filthy building to be Gods House and their rotten straw and stubble to be the work and building of Christ boasting and crying out of themselves by way of self-justifying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord Jer. 7. 4. where to their eternall reproof the Prophet to their very faces saith plainly notwithstanding all their vain confidence The Temple of the Lord Are these such as truly amend their wayes and their doings such as truly and throughly execute judgement between man and his neighbour such as oppresse not strangers nor the fatherlesse nor widow nor shed innocent blood nor walk after other gods vers. 5. 6. And as these false Christians robbers and oppressors take upon them my Names and Titles so also they assume my authority and peculiar priviledges to excommunicate mee and cast me out with these holy words in their mouths Let the Lord be glorified Isa. 56. 5. but he shall appeare to my joy and then they shall be ashamed this hath been alwayes the bitter cup they have made mee and mine to drink in anger and great cruelty but patience hath ever assisted us and enabled us to indure a thousand such injuries They say I am a widow desolate and forsaken and lay the contempt of barrennesse upon mee but that word of life supports us In patience possesse your souls and again Rejoyce thou barren that bearest not break forth into singing thou that travellest not for the desolate hath many more children then shee that hath an husband Gal. 4. 27. Isa. 54. 1. Now what have you said more for your Church and members thereof then the Papists can say for themselves or any other Antichristian Congregation you call your members to an account of their conversion as you call it so much the Scribes and Pharisees can say which compassed Sea and land to make a Proselyte and in so doing made him more the childe of the Devill then he was before Mat. 23. 15. even worse by two degrees a wofull act to return and not to return to mee saith the Lord Hos. 7. 16. Jer. 4. 1. Again you say of your selves you have joyn'd your selves in Church-covenant and you have set up Christs ordinances and you have cast away all superstition and abomination whereas the Saints and Church of God ascribe all to him thou hast washed us thou hast called us thou hast sanctified us thou hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests c. And for your covenant it is a meere humane invention and your people ordaining their Ministers both of the same nature of Popish unwritten verities which as they are not to be found in the Scriptures so labour to forget to practise preach or think of them any more for ever Heres You esteem too meanly of us and our doctrine what will you dare to speak against the Church of Christ take heed what you do for wee walk in a Church-way and communicate in the purity of all Gods ordinances as preaching praying fasting baptisme breaking bread and the like and we have separated our selves from all mens inventions and unlawfull Antichristian Assemblies Truth You know there are such as say and do not the Whore of Rome doth make greater brags then the virgin Spouse and so did their predecessors before them the Pharisees yet all of both their bostings are but false and counterfeit compared with the prayers tears fastings communicatings sacrifices oblations and worships of the Saints And for your separation from other Christians look to it for except it be with such caution which I perceive you know not of it may prove as Achans forbidden wedge of gold and Babylonish garment destruction to your selves for the Pharisees who justified themselves and condemned others were your fore-teachers in this manner of separation for they separated from Christ and John the Baptist calling our Lord a sinner and his servant a devill accounting them nor any one of those penitent humble little ones whom they had converted to the truth worthy their company witnesse the Pharises exception against that holy woman whose tears and love testifies to the truth where and in what nation the Gospell is preached to the worlds end for a memoriall of her Mark 14. 9. compared with Luke 7. 39. and this way of separation the Prophet from Gods own mouth calls an evill and wicked way to walk in Isa. 65. 25. which people say Stand by thy self come not neer to me for I am holier then thou these saith the Lord are a smoak in my nose a fire that burneth all the day for the truth is in no case are trut believers to separate from other Christians in communion but in such cases that they cannot communicate with them but they must sin with them as it was with that Apostate and Idolatrous Church of Rome who made such wicked and opposite lawes to the truth that a true Christian could not partake with them in any of the ordinances of God but hee must be defiled with their abominations one way or other for they caused the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the beast Rev. 13. 12. whom whosoever doth worship shall never have rest but shall be tormented with the wrath of God day and night for evermore Rev. 14. 10. 11. in such cases as these the Scripture is cleare Come out of her my people lest you partake of her sins and be made partakers of her plagues 2 Cor. 6. 17. Rev. 18. 4. And in this case did the Church of England separate from the Church of Rome in which Church of England you now are in whose lawes decrees and ordinances are all against the abominations errors and superstitions of Babylon and all ordered and directed according to

the rule of Gods Word by expresse words or necessary consequence and therefore your separation from us is groundlesse and not warranted in the Scriptures for consider how the rule of truth would direct you and observe how it was with those that were effectually called by the ministery of John Baptist and our Lord himself and truly converted unto God from amongst the Jews in such times when those in the outward state of the Church were most corrupt for they preached for doctrine the commandments of men nor would not receive the truth themselves nor suffer such as would receive it against which doctrine our Lord exhorts his hearers to take heed and beware of the leven of the Pharisees but never taught the Disciples to separate from the Church of the Jewes nor to enter into a formed covenant among themselves as you do but on the contrarary hee commanded them to continue hearers and doers The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses chair or seat whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do c. Mat. 23. 2 3. And himself as his Disciples continued still repairing to the Temple and Synagogue and participated in the service and publike worship of God making no separation for when our Lord gave his account to the high Priest of his Disciples and doctrine Joh. 18. 19 20. he saith I ever taught in the Synagogue and in the Temple whither the Jewes alwayes resort and in secret have I said nothing And for the Apostles practice in many Churches mentioned in the Acts both in Judea and among the Gentiles therein is no separation in your sense spoken of although many things were reprovable and admonished against both in doctrine and practice the truth is the good seed in the field are the Saints the Church of Christ the tares the wicked but both must grow together in the same field till the harvest Matth. 13. 30. As the lilly growes amongst the thornes so the chaffe lies in the same floor with the wheat the Goats feed in the same pasture with the sheep and the crafty Wolves among the harmlesse lambs and cannot be separated till our Lord comes to judge and part them never again to participate afterwards together Heres I pray heare mee all those that have already spoke are old like their doctrine and it is high time their errors should be thus discovered but I pray take notice of mee for I have received a new cleare light of heavenly doctrine a light of free grace and justification in and by Christ from all eternity so that the elect cannot properly be said at any time to be unrighteous ungodly or unholy for they are justified before they beleeve even before the foundations of the world even then when God elected them Truth Free grace rightly understood as the Scriptures declare it is a heavenly and comfortable Doctrine but me thinkes by your confession you should be an Antinomian who speake very much of free grace but doe not at all understand it for they say the free grace of God towards his elect that are justified before the world was is like unto the Sun-beames in the morning when she rises that enlightens the dark earth in which there is no preparation to the enlightning so the Lord shines into the hearts of his elected justified ones in the very time of their wickedest workes of darknesse And then in the midst of their sinnes as in the very acts of adultery and murther even then God lifts up the light of his countenance upon them and gives them peace the effect of their justification with God from all eternity These slight and contemne repentance and call it a worke of the Law and the preparation to justifying faith they call a munkish Popish doctrine and their own fancie or presumptuous conceit they call that justifying faith or free grace by which say they the justified before God come to understand and know their justification from all eternity Oh what a grosse seducement and delusion is this even a generall mistake of the whole Gospel in every part of it Therefore now I will first shew you what free grace is which the Scripture sets forth to us And then shew you how clearly and fully Gods word declares the justifying the elect by faith in Jesus Christ Now this is a written and a certain truth that God loves his Israel his chosen freely Hosea 14. 4 5 6. I will heale their back-slidings saith the Lord I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from him I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall grow as the Lilly and cast forth his root as Lebanon Also it is written Ezek. 16. 6. When I saw thee polluted in thy own blood I said unto thee Live when thou wast in thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live and have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field Observe how abundantly the free grace of God is manifested to his elect that of themselves are quite contrary to deserving for they are polluted with the most abominable pollution and that is with blood and not a little but extreamly in the third degree blood three times repeated by the holy Ghost And that this threefold uncleannesse should bee washed and made pure and that this exceeding deadnesse should be made to live and so to live as the bud of the field to multiply and increase and bring forth fruit unto God and man even holy grapes to refresh the hearts of both this shewes the wonderfull freenesse of Gods grace so to love as there is none like it nor to be compared to it Now because you have spoken of this free grace in a fancy I shall endevour to shew it you in reality And that we may know the things that are freely given us of God 1 Cor. 2. 12. that is of his own will free grace and goodnesse and eternall love Let us consider it in these foure particulars which onely and alone are peculiar to the Saints and Church of God that is their election and predestination before all times their effectuall calling and justification in time and their eternal glorification for ever in the world to come which world shall be endlesse deathlesse and sinlesse for evermore And all these in all the causes the free grace of God And therefore it is said by S. Peter that the Saints and Church of God are elect according to the foreknowledg of God the Father 1 Pet. 1. 2. And S. Paul saith According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world Ephes. 1. 4. And the Apostle to the Church of Thessalonica testifies that God had from the beginning chosen them to salvation 2 Thess. 2. 13. so then it is cleare that the electare chosen in Christ to salvation Which secret purpose and foreknowledge of God towards his elect before all time is made good and effected in and upon his elect in all times being called