Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	body_n	spirit_n	worship_v	2,550	5	9.5500	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49291	Personal reprobation reprobated being a plain exposition upon the nineth chapter to the Romans, shewing, that there is neither little nor much of any such doctrine as personal election or reprobations, asserted by the apostle in that chapter : but that his great designe is to maintain justification by faith in Jesus Christ, without the works of the law / humbly offered to serious consideration, by Samuel Loveday.	Loveday, Samuel, 1619-1677.	1676 (1676)	Wing L3235; ESTC R39683	197,425	354

we have not this inside we are in a sence children of the flesh and so not the children of God therefore S. Peter takes both parts 1 Peter 3. not the putting away the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience so doth Christ John 3. a true baptized Disciple of Christ is one in whom Christ dwels by faith Eph. 3.17 the Ordinance of the Lords supper hath an inside a spiritual part our hearts are to be fed as well as our bodies we are as Christ saith to eat his flesh and drink his blood or else we have no life in us it is the spiritual part attending the outward that renders a person acceptable to God for he seeks such especially now who worship him in spirit and truth John 4. Abraham did much in going out of his countrey and offering up his son yet his justification came in by his faith Rom. 3. it is true his works did manifest the life and truth of his faith Iames 2. but it is said Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness 3. If the children of the flesh or law be not the children of God then certain it is that the children of faith are and so thou who art a Gentile-believer art one of them it may be much encouragement to a poor gospel-believer it appears thou wert one of those whom God had upon his heart in his promise to Abraham at first the promise made to Abraham that he should be heir of the world was made upon gospel-terms not fleshly Rom. 4.13 If you are believers in Christ you are the proper heirs of that promise with him and so the most proper children of God though thou art a Gentile so was Zacheus yet upon his believing he is pronounc't a child of Abraham by Jesus Christ himself Luke 19.9 It is the judgment of some learned men that Abrahams children may be divided into four ranks or are of four sorts 1. Such as were his natural children according to a fleshly race who were no sharers in the promise such were Ishmael and Esau 2. Some who were descended of Ahrahams loins and were heirs of those temporal promises of Canaan and such like such were the fleshly posterity of Isaac and Jacob. 3. Such as descended of Abrahams loins according to the flesh and not only so but such as were truly godly and had the faith of Abraham even faith in Christ as Abraham had 4. Such as are not of the fleshly seed of Abrahams loins at all but were only believers of which sort are all the believing gentiles and these two latter sorts may be reckoned into and are the children of the promise which leads us to speak unto the affirmitive part of this interpretation But the children of the promise are accounted for the seed In handling this head I shall cast my eye to the verse before and verse following ver 7. ver 9. In Isaac shall thy seed be called which saying is taken out of Gen. 21.14 and the occasion we may there see in the former part of the chapter which was this as I minded before after Isaac was born and grown to some years Sarah his mother takes notice of Ishmael the bond-womans son offering some abuse to her son Isaac in mocking him she is sorely displeased thereat and besought her husband to cast both son and mother out of doors but Abraham having love to his son it seemed grevious to him to put her request in execution but soon after God himself speaks to him and bids him hearken to his wife in this matter and put the son and mother both out of doors and he gives Abraham this as an argument that Ishmael should not inherit with Isaac but in Isaac his seed should be called that Isaac should be the heir alone without Ishmael now Abraham having received this command from God proceeds accordingly ver 14. Abraham arose early in the morning to perform that service which was too grievous to him in himself it is worthy our noting By the way note this Doctrine That our father Abraham was of a tractable frame of spirit to Gods will though in things crosse and contrary to his own will and interest Abraham is not only willing to do it but he riseth early to do it This he did also in the offering up Isaac chap. 22. his dear and only son he did arise early to go about it this was the spirit of our father Abraham whose steps we are to follow Rom. 5.12 in order to blessing Abraham God called him to his foot Esa 41.2 Let us learn this lesson from it be like Abraham herein it was kindely taken at his hand God reckons him his friend James 2.23 and this priviledge is promised John 15.14 Ye are my friends when ye do whatsoever I command you if thou beest a believer thou must look to Abraham thy father Esa 51. but I only touch this by the way and now come to the words ver 7. In Isaac shall thy seed be called It is not here to be understood that all that come of Isaacs loins acording to the flesh are here meant for we know Esau came of Isaac but Isaac is here exhibited as a type of the true seed they must resemble Isaac in this birth but I shall meet with this in the interpretation as it followeth the children of the promise are accounted for the seed I have already spoken something to the explaining these words who are these children of promise in general they are such as are begotten by the promise through Christ but I would speak more particularly a few words 1. It is to be noted that the Apostle doth not here say the children of promise with respect to Isaac alone personally considered but the Apostle had an eye to a race or generation of men so qualified that is to say such as resemble Isaac as to his extraordinary birth and the extraordinary interposer of Gods power therefore he saith in special the children of the promise it is undeniably plain that if the Apostles designe had been here to lift up Isaac as a type of absolut personal election honeeded not to have proceeded this way as he doth to compute Abrahams seed by Isaac and by him in such a way but if the Apostles designe was to render Isaac as a type of such a sort of persons so qualified then the whole context will concurr with it 2. Whereas the Apostle here stileth these persons acceptable with God children of the promise we are to understand such persons as the promises are directed unto which is Originally and comprehensively to and in Christ for this we have an Emphatical place Gal. 3.16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made he saith not to seeds a many but one which is Christ so that in a true construction children of promise and children of Christ are the same for Christ is the apparent and immediate heir of the promise To confirm this we have

is under the withdrawings of Gods spirit is insensible of sin therefore the author to the Hebrews exhorts them to have a care and use the means to perserve them from being hardned by the deceitfulness of sin Heb. 3. Rom. 1. is full to this purpose 4. Persons thus withdrawn from are delivered up to themselves do much abuse Gods mercies all the mercy of God to such a person doth further harden him in order to his own destruction thus it was with Pharaoh and such we reade of Rom. 2. who are impenitent who take advantage thereby to treasure up wrath against the day of wrath all the mercies of God to Israel after his withdrawing himself from them still hardned them more and more even those 40. years that God waited upon them 5. Such withdrawings or deliverings up is followed with a stupid blindness in their understandings that they cannot foresee their own danger that waits for them thus it was with Pharaoh Exo. 14.4 I will harden Pharaoh that he shall pursue he sees nor feareth no danger but on the contrary promiseth himself to overtake and divide the spoyl so it was with those cities Ioshua 11.20 it was of the Lord to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battel that he might destroy them utterly yet this they could not see their own ruine was hidden from their eyes so it was with the Jews whilst under this state Rom. 11.7,8,9,10 they were blinded according to Davids imprecation the same word is used for hardning and blinding these and many more are the sad effects of Gods withdrawing his spirit and the influences thereof and it may well be said in this case as God speaks to Israel Hose 9.12 yea wo be to that person from whom I depart the truth of it is the heart of man is so bad and ill inclined that God needs do no more then give him up to his own heart and he will soon act all wickedness with greediness Act. 7.42 when God gives Israel up they presently worship the host of heaven this considered we may well allow of it as a choice mercy namely restraining grace for by this means men are not so bad to themselves or others as they would be if God do but say to Ephraim let him alone he will be bad enough Hose 4. if God let a soul alone it will undo it self to all eternity David seems to intimate by his prayer and expostulation with God Psal 51. that the foundation of his gross falling was not only the inclination of his nature in which he was concerned but the withdrawing Gods spirit and the influences thereof in him which makes him so strongly request that God would not again take his holy spirit from him but uphold him or sustain him with his spirit he is sensible that there lay his defect before Now it is remarkable and the consideration of it is much for our instruction that this withdrawing the spirit of God and the influences thereof was never the portion of any but as the fruit aad effect of great disobedience to the motions of Gods spirit within and the word without any body will readily grant this a truth as to Pharaohs case God takes great pains with him before he delivered him up to this hardening and it is as clear concerning the Jews Christ would have gathered them as a hen gatheneth her chickens under her wing but they would not Mat. 23. and that this delivering up is no other then the fruit and effects of provoking sin and disobedience see these places following Psal 81.11 but my people would not harken to my voice Israel would have none of me so I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts or their hearts lusts Act. 7.42 after the children of Israel had made a calf ahd thereby greatly provoked God to anger and this after God had newly delivered them with a high hand out of Egypt and brought them thorow the Red-sea then God turned and gave them up see Rom. 1.24 therefore God gave them up see verse 26. for this cause God gave them up So Ephraim is given to Idols therefore God lets him alone when persons sin against light it is the ready way to forfeit their light this was the case with the Jews their mallice was so great against Christ that they contrary to their own reason and experience accuse him of casting out devils by Belzebub the prince of Devils notwithstanding their children must cast them out by the name of Jesus after this Christ speaks to them in parables to the end they might not see or understand to fulfill the prophefy of Esaiah chap. 6. recited Mat. 13. the ground of Gods shuting their eyes and blinding and hardning their hearts was but the effects of their first shutting their own eyes and ears as you may reade Act. 28.27 Solomon saith Pro. 29.1 he that being often reproved hardens his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy all that hath been added confirms the truth of the fourth head that Gods hardening Pharaohs heart was Gods judicial act upon Pharaohs hardning his own heart under the first six plagues and so we have done with the fourth particular We now proceed to the fifth and last circumstance to be spoken unto by way of explication which is this whether this second hardning is unavoidable in its approach or irrecoverable when under it I shall speak a few words to both these particulars And to the first I answer that God even in this his approach to harden in judgment is very willing to be hindered by the creatures meeting him by humiliation and compliance this appears even in this second hardning of Pharaoh though God is said to harden his heart yet still his further proceedings are conditional as appears Exo. 10.4 if thou refuse to humble thy self and let Israel go then I will proceed now if Pharaoh had been shut up in under an impossibillity of relenting and humbling then this had not been propounded as a Medium for it had been rather to have insulted over Pharaoh in this his deplorable condition to have stirred him up to do that which he was in no possibility to perform which men are not usually found to do if I shall see a person in an invincible strong place from whence he cannot get out and then make him promises upon condition of his coming out what is this but to insult over his bondage which God doth not do if God invites Pharaoh to let Israel go upon promise of impunity he well knows it was in his power yet to let them go though not so easily as he could at first invitation because every act of rebellion makes the heart yet harder and harder therefore God promiseth Pharaoh if he would yet now at last let Israel go he would not bring the locusts or any other plague we reade that the worst and most rebellious of mankinde are still sent unto by God who could be worse

then the old world for whom God was grieved at the heart and repented that he made man yet he strives with them by his spirit in the ministry of Noah a 120. years so also 2 Cron. 36.15 he had compassion after all that hardness contracted by them as appears by their abusing his prophets see Ezek. 12. we there reade of a rebellious house who had hardened themselves to a high degree having eyes and see not ears and hear not yet still God useth means with them and that with this proviso ver 13. it may be they will consider though they be a rebellious house God knew that they were not in an incapacity to consider and return such a hardened people are not debarred of means of consideration the wicked old world were in a capacity of returning to the last moment of the 120. years so long as the patience of God waited God waited after he is said to harden Pharaohs heart under four judgements more to provoke him to prevent his utter destruction and besides all this it appears Pharaoh was not put into an incapacity to repent because after all this hardning he did repent though it did not hold with him chap. 9.27 saith he God is righteous I and my people are wicked and however some may judge of this repentance had it been continued in and not repented of it would have saved Pharaoh from destruction so again cha 10.16 I have sinned against the Lord and against you So that God did not harden Pharaoh irrecoverably so as that it was impossible for him to repent neither was Israel so shut up after the death of Christ but that they might still repent for we reade of three thousand of them who were guilty of that great sin of killing Christ converted in one day Acts. 2. by Peters sermon and that they are not irrecoverably shut up by vertue of that sentence and that hardening and blinding judicially by God is granted of all sides for they shall yet in time have soft relenting hearts given them and their blinding and hardening is but temporal the first prophecy of it Esa 6. had in it an until and Rom. 11. they shall be grafted in again if they abide not still in unbelief and this must needs follow unlesse we grant that Pharaoh or the Jews had committed that unpardonable sin which I suppose none will say if this be so then let us take up this consideration by the way that if Pharaohs hardening was not irresistible nor irrecoverable how can Pharaohs hardening be a meet type of absolute personal irrecoverable reprobation except you will plead for a personal conditional reprobation seeing all these threatnings against Pharaoh are conditional if he do not repent to let Israel go 2. He was in a capacity to repent even under the worst hardening till his utter destruction so that Pharaohs case will not do that service that it is by most summoned to do in the point of personal and absolute irrecoverable reprobation but it may be objected doth not this arguing seem to lessen the judgement of Gods hardning Phara●… heart as if it were not so great as indeed it is for if it be not irresistible nor irrecoverable how is there that dread in it I answer that notwithstanding what of this kinde can be said yet it is a great yea the greatest of all judgements that can be inflicted upon a person to be hardened by God and that for these five reasons First because this hardening by God is the fruit and effect of the highest provoking sin it is sin punished by sin to be given over to commit sin with despight which before he commited with regret and trouble but now with all greedynesse see Rom. 1.28 it is to be given up to a reprobate minde 2. This hardnesse of heart from God though there may be a possibility to withstand it or recover out of it yet know it is unspeakable hard next to an impossibility as it must needs follow for every act of impiety doth still harden more and more it was very hard for Pharaoh to attain to that degree of relenting which he did attain unto but yet more hard to keep it upon his heart custome in sin begets a second nature see 13. Jer. 23. can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots no more can they learn to do good who are accustomed to do evil 3. No person so near so lyable and ready to fall into his own destruction as a hardened sinner he is very near to ruine who saith Job cha 9.4 hath hardened himself against God and prospered muchless can they think to prosper whom God hardens 4. To be hardened by God is the greatest of judgements because commonly it is the punishment of the abuse of mercy and no judgement so severe as that which follows the abuse of mercy 5. This hardening by God is a great judgement as it is a token of Gods highest displeasure see the woes that go along with it upon the Jews Mat. 23. that which yet remains in order to a close of the 17. and 18. verses is to sum up those Doctrines that flow from the words thus explicated which may be many but I shall but little more then name the most of them 1. From verse 17. for the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh from this preface this Doctrine offers it self to our consideration 1. Doctrine That the sayings of God are not less divine or authoritative because they are written The writing of Gods sayings doth not take away from them divine authority but they are as if God had spoken them at present by his own mouth The Apostle might as well have said God saith unto Pharaoh yet he chooseth to say the Scripture saith This Doctrine is very well worth our consideration in this day in which we are fallen but I shall but briefly touch it because I spoke something to it in the explication it is plain these words were spoken by God Exo. 9. yet the Apostle referreth us to the Scripture and this is usual with the Apostle in other places see Gal. 4. the Scriptures saith cast out the bond woman though God spake it so 1. Timo. 5.18 the Scripture saith thou shalt not muzzel the mouth of the oxe whereas God spake it So that to say the Scripture saith and to say God saith are the same and indeed why should any body question the truth of this doctrine are the sayings of Kings and Monarchs of lesse authority because they are written and made into a law holy men appropriates that to the Scriptures that is proper to God himself as convincing converting clensing quickening they are able to make the man of God wise unto salvation 2 Timo. 3.15 able to build up and give an inheritance amongst them that are sanctified Act. 20. From hence we may note 1. That those that slight and undervalue the Scriptures are not guided by the same spirit that the Apostle Paul was there are some that will