Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	world_n	write_v	writing_n	115	3	8.2962	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86890	A rejoynder to Mr. Drake or a reply unto his book entituled, A boundary to the holy Mount. VVhich being approach'd, is found so dreadfull, that the people do exceedingly quake and fear, lest they be consumed. By John Humfrey Master of Arts, and minister of Froome in Somerset-shire.	Humfrey, John, 1621-1719.	1654 (1654)	Wing H3705; Thomason E1466_2; ESTC R208675	155,461	285

Mr. D. must affirme here that God seales to a blank which he most desperately does or that this objection comes to nothing 2 I question Whether a man that scruples at the Sacrament as having not evidence to receive it as a seale may and must not yet receive it as a sign My reason is all men within the Church are bound to remember the death of Christ and be thankful if it were but onely for that he hath brought them under a possibility probability and the means of salvation But the whole institution is ordained for a thankful remembrance in the shewing forth his death and benefits of it wherein the whole Church is visibly interessed Ergo. If any reply There is more then this to be don I say true let not anythink that is all but I aske is not this yet his duty This one particular cannot be denyed and if it be his duty his failings and impotence otherwise cannot evacuate it they must be amended and this must be done Wemust not do evil that good may come of it therefore we must do our duty though evill comes of it And now I come to his book p. 123. He begins with approbation of the objection All men saies he are naturally Rasae tabulae destitute of the new Covenant in their hearts 2 Cor. 3.3 Heb. 8.10 and so blanks c. Answ Here is Mr. Drakes great error to confound the outward and inward Covenant the externall and internal sealing If the seale be set to a blank untill Gods Law is written in the heart then no mortall can apply the seale to any seeing that cannot bee discerned by any Compare this therefore with p. 72. Let the world know saies he that truth of Grace in the heart is not the rule of our admission Now I pray note it if he applies these Texts Heb. 8.10.2 Cor. 3.3 which speaks onely of this inward writing to confirm the objection that the seale is set to a blank if all be admitted then the world must know that the truth of grace is his rule or else the new Covenant written in the heart is not truth of grace with Mr. Drake Here you see the left legset first forward and the mans rule had need be better then his reason He proceeds This blanke is either visible or invisible to God all blankes are visible and he may use his liberty to set his seale where hee pleases Ans In what a sad case has he here brought himselfe selfe through his former error when he must lay this for his foundation that the God of Israel may set his seale to a visible blanke that stiles himselfe by this title who cannot lye If the Minister who is Gods Embassadour seales to a visible blank it is such an heinous sin he saies as murdering Christ and yet does hee affirme that God sets his seal to a visible blanke without scruple It is no wonder that the man deals so coursely with me that uses such rude and uncivil language towards God He goes on and tels how p. 124 by commanding Baptisme of Infants and to admit to the Lords Supper all visible Saints that are Church-members The question is then whether man may apply the seals to visible blankes c. Ans I pray marke this over againe God may use his liberty to set his seal to a visible blanke he sayes by commanding all visible Saints to be admitted but his question is Whether man may apply it that is the question is Whether man may doe as God hath commanded him Visible Saints are all one with visible members 1 Cor. 1 2. Heb. 10.29 with Deut. 7.6 c. so that it seems by that time the man came to this place he was never converted But he fals off againe It is cleare he may not for then heathen may be admitted and their Infants baptized but there are visible blankes in the Church as in the world c. Answ 1. This is as good as the rest because the heathen are not admitted who are not commanded to be admitted therefore visible Saints may not who are commanded As a jewel in a Swines snout so is a faire face upon a matter without discretion 2 It is Mr. Drakes error to say there are any visible blankes within the Church for how then can wee baptize all children A visible blanke is one visibly out of Covenant but to be in a Church-state is to be externally or visibly in Covenant Deut. 29.1.10.11 26.17 18. visibly holy Deut. 14.2.1 Pet. 29 10.1 Cor. 1 2. And so the Jews owned of God as his Covenant-people even when they know not nor consider him Isa 1.3 Isa 5.13 there is ignorance and when they hearken not to him and will have none of him Psal 81.8.11 Amos 3.2.1 Cor. 10.5 there is scandal As the legs of the lame are not equall so is Church-membership without communion Page 125. Sacramental seals relate either to parties or to things c. Answ For the parties A man may be in Covenant either quoad jus foederis or quoad foederis beneficia Though none but the regenerate ar partakers of the effectual benefits yet are all Church-members in Covenant according to an external right or title But in case any make a forfeiture which he sayes the Church ought to take It is manifest then he must be excommunicate that is put out of Church-state or external Covenant for while he stands De jure entituled as a member it is a manifest wrong to suspend him the symbol thereof And here our distinction of Ipso jure dis-membred and so De presenti dis-tituled must do its service in some scruples which will be even forced to say I have need of thee For the things to which these Seals relate Page 126. he saies 1 They confirme the Covenant which is most true and therefore all may be present to see not eat Answ The bare Elements do not confirme the Covenant but the Elements as instituted to that use but they were instituted to be eaten and drunken and therefore those that are present must receive too to wit if they be intelligent members 2 They confirme the faith of the worthy receiver therefore none but Evangelically worthy may partake Ans He may as well argue thus Baptisme confirmes the faith onely of those that understand it therefore Infants may not partake of it The word and prayer confirme faith therefore none but the regenerate may heare and pray This is no consequence for whatsoever Ordinance can confirme faith may beget it 3 They confirme judgement to the unworthy receiver Answ And I pray now what is become of the blanke By this it appears the whole Covenant is sealed Mar. 16 16. and so there is no sealing to a blanke possible Hee that beleeves not shall be damned is sealed as well as he that beleeves shall be saved so that I humbly judge the right use hereof is but to bee taught the people and our controversie may bee done There is a

very coming is their profession My sixt proof was Act. 2.41 42 46. Which Text he leaves out you may conceive it has silenced him For while we find thousands admitted thus freely and equally not omitting his phrase of Pell-mel in their breaking bread I say even wholy alike as in doctrin and prayer we dare not fall down to that Sacramental Rule upon tryal he would set up if it be once held as necessary and divine though we acknowledge the prudence and piety of others seeing it has not one word to speak or the least argument left it concerning this Scripture that it should open the mouth or move the wing or peep against it My seventh text was Act. 10.28 which I say I apply only as to the expression Yet does he pursue it with four pitifull exceptions p. 34 35. For the first whereof it is untrue St. Paul says not Tit. 1.15 the unbeliever is unclean to us but all things are unclean to him For the second I shall satisfie after I have proposed this question in answer to his two other Whether do you think him more pierceing in the third to find only the unintelligent left out or ingenuous in the fourth to speak so eloquently when he has done I have heard of one that would undertake ye to confute all Bellarmine in two words Mentiris Bellarmine by Mr. Drakes language and confidence he may be the man And now for the force of these words I told you in the beginning we must distinguish of passages unto their right parties there is a sort of weak Christians that think they shall be defiled if they Communicate in our mixt Churches this text may be full and solid for them though it reaches not others Mr. Drake should be more tender than to debilitate their supports Dear souls I have seen some of your tears and let this dry them up for you you are not to account them common and unclean that receive with you If your selves be clean all are clean to you The soul many times that is not taken with a reason may by an expression A man may be common and unclean three ways 1. Levitically and this is abrogate 2. Morally and this defiles a mans self and not another 3. Faederally as appears in 1 Cor. 7.14 Now while persons are Faederally clean as all Church members are being separated by external Covenant to Christ from the World we need not doubt but they may be communicated withall without any pollution Indeed Mr. Drake says heer such and such are Morally unclean but what then It is not Moral cleannesse but Faederal cleannesse is the ground of our admission and a man is not Faederally unclean till excommunicated He objects wicked Christians reject Christ p. 35. and answers himself with me p. 84. Though they transgresse they do not renounce the Covenant as Turks do and are Church Members till excommunicated And these were my Scriptures to establish us in this sweet truth that leads us unto peace and though he has done his endeavour to hinder you of the benefit of them yet for all his opposition there is not so much as the girdle of their loyns loosed or latchet of their shooes broken For the cloze herof I gatherd up some Texts Io. 6.37 Rev. 22.17 c. that do set forth the most free offers of Jesus Christ which though Mr. Drake makes but light of p. 36. do pathetically enter the spirits of others that have but a little embraced this sweet notion that the Lord Jesus is proportionably gracious in his external privileges to a Christian profession as he is in his internal saving benefits to the sincerity of Christianity Heer he says three things the one is With what Conscence can I keep off Infants This is now four times The other two are the same which in their naked sense comes to this Though Christ be offered freely yet it must be to such only as we judge truly receive him The truth is the word and the Sacraments are but the same publick instrument delivered as a sealed writing for the use of the Church and are equal privileges if I may call the same equal to all the Members of it I do even pity mortality to see what a few words a few enfoldings can hide Truth from us what sense is in this Jesus Christ is to be freely shewed forth to bring men home effectually to him and yet must the Receivers make out their right unto the Minister before we dare offer or conditionally apply him to them I do humbly conceive heer is the false notion that perplexes the many We that are Ministers they think are sent by our Prince Jesus to our Flocks as Rebels to offer grace and salvation if they come in and truly accept him we are to seal their pardons if they do not make this visibly appear we may not apply the seal without being guilty of the blood of Christ Now this is a very ill apprehension which we shall rectifie as we go forwards for we must not make the notion of sealing so dreadfull and bring so much blood upon our souls I think this is true indeed in reference to the heathen whom we need not fear to judge visible Rebels and they must come in and professe Jesus Christ in opposition to all other Religions before we can seal the Word to them The Word is no sealed Word even outwardly but to the Church and when they are made Members once it is then sealed we seal them an equal right to all Ordinances and Privileges and whatsoever is exernal we confer to them But being received into the Church and professors already we cannot compel any tryal of them more unlesse by way of Catechism and instruction wherein yet there is no man too old to learn Lu. 14. but it must be as to the truth of their profession or effectual sincerity which for to do where no scandal calls them in question it is to go about to judge mens hearts and to enter into the seat of God and make our selves dispensers not of the mysteries only but of the grace while we take a power to judge of mens worthinesse and according to visibility seal them their pardons This is a businesse of sad consequence to give occasion and some hold-fast to those Anti-christian Scandals are cast on our Ministry by them that would undo us I must confesse I belive it was only the zeal and piety of good men that made them thus to rise up against ignorance and sin without intending to enter upon Gods Throne but if we have erred and must be laid down it may be in the dust I hope we shall acknowledge his hand and if he shall return our Captivity from the Rivers of Confusion where we have sate down and wept we will remember again our Ierusalem and when thou hast restored us our Harps now hanging on the Willows we will sing of thy goodnesse in the wonted songs of thy Syon Sect. 6 HAving

Covenant or there is the Covenant made with us and the Covenant made with Christ Faith is not given by vertue of the Covenant made with man but it flowes from the Promise God hath made to Christ that upon doing his work this shall be his wages To have a seed a people Isa 53.10 Isa 55.4 5. Psal 2.8 that is many shall beleeve in him Now the Sacrament seales not the absolute Covenant or the everlasting engagements between God and Christ but it seales the conditional Covenant or the Covenant made with man and so not Faith 2 To proceed more strictly There is the first Grace and second Grace Faith as the first condition and the further degrees of it If it be pleaded these further degrees comes under the conditional Promise I Answer For my part I judge from whence comes the first Grace from thence flows Perseverance by the former Texts with Joh. 10.29 Jo. 17.9 10. Jer. 32.40.1 Pet. 1.5 c. that is from the absolute Promise and this makes it incorruptible seed in the Doctrine whereof we are loath to loose so good a stay at our backs and if Perseverance belongs to the absolute Promise the confirmation of the first Grace does likewise In Progressive Grace then there is the work it selfe or an accessory consideration of it as a reward to initial though there is not the least degree of Grace but what is wrought by the Holy Spirit yet he does so sweetly attemper his work to our Wils that he proposes it as the reward and fruits of our endeavors in the right use of the first stock he hath given us and so declares or promises To him that hath it shall be given Upon which promise there arises a right of the second Grace to him that hath the first and this Right only as to Reall Grace to wit that God will crown his own effectuall workings with more is all can be sealed in the Sacraments To clear this a little more Whereas wee speake here of the Grace the Covenant promises that is the benefits let us know 1. The word Sealing we are to take for conveighing or exhibiting 2 That the grace of the promise is either Relative that makes a change onely as to our state and relation towards God as Justification Adoption and this is conveyed every Sacrament suo modo to the Beleever or Reall as these further degrees of Faith Love c. and Glory which change the heart and person and this being a physicall thing cannot be conveyed by obsignation A moral Instrument acts not physically To speake freely in this sense of obsignation the Sacrament does no more Sanctifie us then Glorifie us It is then a right to further Sanctification as to glory which is sealed that is exhibited or conveyed to us by the Sacrament and as for the effectuall worke it selfe of the first or second Grace alike it is the free gift of God insinuated in all Ordinances through the proposition of the object by morall action To sum up the whole Mr. D. can have here it comes to this whereas the Sacrament as a seale conveyes and exhibits the benefits of the Covenant to wit Relative Grace and a right to Reall to true Beleevers and not else the seale must be set to a blank he may count where there is no saving Faith and if any are visibly such they ought not to be admitted To this I answer 1. By way of concession as to the antecedent which is true and the sense is only that the Sacrament seales the benefits of the Covenant upon condition or those onely that have the condition have a right to the benefits of it The man could nor be so censorious if he had not some good meaning To expresse this in Austines words there is Sacramentum and Res Sacramenti panis Dominus and Panis Domini It is true though all receive the Sacrament and Panem Domini yet none receive rem Sacramenti and panem Dominum but such as have true saving faith But 2. By way of negation to the consequence It does not follow where the benefits are not exhibited that the seale is set to a blank For 1. The Covenant is sealed either in regard of the tenor of it or the benefits though the benefits in this sense are not sealed that is conveyed yet is the tenor of the Covenant sealed that is confirmed and ratified the cheife sense we contend for to all the receivers and there can bee no seale to a blank so long as there is truth and writing in the Gospel2 As the generall truth of the Covenant is sealed to all so is every mans particular interest sealed according to his condition and he is seriously to make his use thereof 3 By way of further satisfaction if Mr. D. will call it sealing to a blanke when the benefits are not exhibited the man may use what unhandsome terms he will but I will say if that be all there is no absurdity in it For 1. God hath commanded to baptise all Infants of Beleevers and to admit all visible Saints as himselfe sayes p. 123. which yet have not all the benefits exhibited and we must not think the eternall Wisdom puts us upon an absurdity 2 The Lord Jesus submitted to the Sacraments yet could not the benefits of remission of sins or regeneration be sealed to him that never sinned 3 Neverthelesse as he was to doe this to fulfill all righteousnesse so are we bound still to doe our duty 4 As there is Relative Grace as remission of sin and a right to life exhibited to the sound Beleever so there is Relative Judgement if I may so say as retention of sin and debitum supplicii a due or desert of death exhibited to the unsound which he is to apply for his Conviction and Reformation 5 If he does not yet is the Ordinance hereby made a sweet savor of Christ unto God though a savor of death to him 4 By way of inquity I question 1. How Gods establishing his Covenant by way of seal does import this exhibition of the effectual benefits to those he seales There may indeed be outward priviledges of the Church necessarily made over hereby but the inward benefits of the Covenant are engaged for or stipulated on Gods part to bee given only upon condition which man may be bound to before the performance I pray compare tha● place from whence alone we derive this notion of seal Ro. 4.11 with Gen. 17.11 One Text cals that a token which the other cals a seale and wha● one cals the righteousnesse of Faith the oth cals the Covenant The token of the Cove●●nt and seale of the righteousnesse of faith the same Now see vers 7. I will establish my Covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their Generations for an everlasting Covenant This shall be the token or seale thereof But the effectuall benefits were not exhibited to the whole seed in their generations that were circumcised and therefore