Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	assurance_n	faith_n	justify_v	2,314	5	9.2915	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06060	The mirrour or miracle of Gods loue vnto the world of his elect Preached on the third of Iohn, verse the sixteenth: wherein the said scripture is very learnedly expounded, and the rich treasures of Gods grace in Christ are accurately opened. By that faithfull seruant of Christ, and preacher of his Gospell, Mr. Paul Baine.	Baynes, Paul, d. 1617.	1619 (1619)	STC 1646; ESTC S101581	52,320	82

Lastly it is manifest by the scripture Col. 2.6 and Iohn 1.12 that beleeuing on Christ is the receiuing of him And what is this receiuing Not only a comprehension of the vnderstanding but an imbracing of the hart and affections laying holde on him as we would on any thing with our hand which is reached vnto vs. And Iohn 6.35 to goe or come to Christ is made all one with beleeuing on Christ which going no doubt is rather a spirituall motion of the hart and affections toward Christ to enioy him and cleaue vnto him then a contemplation of the minde contented to see beholde him 3. By reasons In the third place wee must cleare this matter by reason that to beleeue on Christ is to trust vpon him and that for the grace of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting For the papists say that when we construe to beleeue in Christ to bee to beleeue the pardon of our sinnes in and for Christ that this is a glosse of our owne deuising Wherefore to shew it let this bee the first reason So faith doth receiue and rest on Christ as Christ is set forth to the beleeuer Reason 1. But Christ is set forth vnto vs as our redeemer from sinne and death ergo faith staieth on Christ as our redeemer from sin and death For this wee are alwaies to haue in minde that Christ is the obiect of our faith Not a naked Christ is the obiect of our faith but Christ clothed with his benefits not abstractly and nakedly considered but Christ with his benefits Christ lifted vp as the brazen serpent Christ set forth as a sacrifice propitiatory for our sinnes And thus to receiue Christ and beleeue on him is to beleeue receiue in him ransome from sin and death Reason 2. Secondly I proue this from the disposition of euery beleeuer That which pricketh and spurreth the soule to Christ that the soule first of all ●eacheth at and receiueth in Christ But sinne and death maketh the soule goe forth to Christ Ergo it first layeth hold on pardon of sinne and deliuerance from death These things are euident truths in the experience of euery humbled and beleeuing soule Reason 3. Thirdly it may bee proued by the order of iustification that a iustifying faith is to stay on Christ for the pardon of sinne or to beleeue in him forgiuenesse of sinne The beleeuer that hath got his sinnes couered he hath beleeued the pardon of them But euery beleeuer whom God iustifyeth hath first got his sins couered Ergo he hath before iustification beleeued their pardon It may seeme strange that I say that the sinnes of the beleeuer are couered before his iustification but in nature thus it must bee considered For the Lord cannot pronounce vs as iust till some way hee see vs innocent To absolue the guiltie is abomination with him The order that is obserued in our iustification The order of our iustificat●ō will cleere the matter First there is a sight of our misery to which we are brought by the Law Secondly there is by the Gospell an holding forth of Christ as our Redemption from sinne and death Thirdly there is a working of faith in the heart to rest on Christ as the ransome from sinne and death Now when a man is come hither he is truely and really iust For he hath hold of the ransome from all his sinne Then in the fourth place followeth the Lords voice iustifying this party thus in Christ made righteous Reason 4. Fourthly it may be proued by the effects of faith For that faith which iustifyeth before God which sanctifyeth which bringeth Christ to dwell in our hearts which breedeth peace yea giueth entrance vnto God with confidence and boldnesse that standeth in the trust of mercy and in knowledge onely But all these are made effects of beleeuing on Christ The first part of the reason is euident For if faith be onely the crediting of things to be beleeued then these eff●cts belong not vnto faith For wicked men in their kinde and the Diuels in their kinde may haue such a perswasion Thus hauing proued sufficiently that to beleeue on Christ is to haue confidence of mercy touching remission of sinne I will now shew what may bee obiected Obiections answered Scriptures that seeme to affirme faith to be onely a right perswasion of Christs person and offices The arguments are either drawne from Scripture or Reason The first ranke proueth that it is true faith to think aright of Christs person office The Scriptures may be recalled to these three heads Mat. 16.16 Thou art the Christ the Son of the liuing God Iohn 1.49 Rabbi saith Nathanael thou art the Sonne of God thou art the King of Israel Iohn 11.26 27. He that beleeueth in mee saith our Sauiour vnto Martha shall not dye Beleeuest thou this Yea Lord saith shee I beleeue that thou art the Christ the Sonne of God that should come into the world So Iohn 20.31 These things are written that yee might beleeue that Iesus is the Christ the Sonne of God c. See Acts 8.37 and 1. Iohn 5.1 From all these Scriptures it may thus be concluded Ob. To bee perswaded aright touching Christs person and office is no particular assurance of mercie But rightly to hold this is iustifying faith Ergo iustifying faith is no particular affiance but onely to hold truely the doctrine of Christ Answ But it is false that these examples mention no more but the holding of the doctrine in truth For they all include an affiance of mercy Which yet include in affiance of mercy in him which may be thus proued First it is a generall rule that words of knowledge include in the partie the affections also much more words of beliefe Secondly to see the cleere trueth of all these examples wee must consider the disposition of Gods people touching the Messiah As therefore they looked for the Messiah so according to the prophecies they promised to themselues in and by the Messiah all good The woman of Samaria Iohn 4. could say when the Messiah commeth he will teach vs all things And therefore Math. 11.3 the Disciples of Iohn aske Christ Art thou hee that should come or shall wee looke for another Where wee may see that there was not a knowledge onely of Christ to come but an expectation and an hope placed in him as in whom all good promises should bee accomplished vnto them So that if we consider the disposition of this people whose hopes did hang on the Messiah wee may plainely vnderstand how that to beleeue the Messias is not onely to know and giue credence but to haue an affiance in him Thirdly wee must consider these examples by that of Thomas Iohn 20.28 who as he confessed Christ and God so was it with tearmes of affiance saying Thou art my Lord and my God Fourthly this may bee gathered by Marthaes words Iohn 11.26 27. For when Christ asked

And how can any conceiue it otherwise to bee made ours but as by faith it is apprehended of vs Heere the Papists say that Christ is our righteousnesse How Christ is our righteousnesse Not by sanctification two waies First because he meriteth the pardon of sinne which is reckoned ours Secondly because he worketh righteousnesse in vs. Answ It is very true that Christ doth sanctifie vs notwithstanding hee doth not make vs righteous before God by this inherent righteousnesse For wee are the righteousnesse of God not in our selues as we should be if this infused righteousnesse were the matter of our iustification but in him 2. Cor. 5.21 And Phil. 3.9 But by imputation when Paul doth oppose the righteousnesse which is of Christ and of God to that of the Law which also he doth call his owne as being inherent in him hee doth cleerely shew that Christ is not our righteousnes by that righteousnesse which the spirit doth beget in vs for that is legall but by another righteousnesse resting in his owne person and not transfused but imputed to vs. Reason 2. Secondly Faith and workes in this matter of iustification are alwaies opposed Ephes 2.8 9. Rom. 2.27 But now if faith iustifie vs as a worke they are not then opposite but may well stand together Reason 3. Thirdly when we say that faith doth saue iustifie and purifie vs if we vnderstand this of the inward act of beleeuing wee are made our owne Sauiours and sanctifyers For it is cleere that wee saue our selues when from our selues doth proceede that act by and for which we are saued Reason 4. Further the least true faith though it be vnperfect doth iustifie It cannot then bee that it doth this by its owne value For how should a weake and small faith that is as a graine of mustard seede be of equall value to a greater measure of the same when things of the same kinde differ in value according to their quantitie as there is much odds in worth betweene a mite and a massy wedge though both be of the purest gold Wherefore this excellent worke of iustification must be ascribed vnto the thing beleeued on that is Iesus Christ which a small and weake faith doth as truely apprehend and possesse vs of as a stronger Reason 5. Lastly it was an errour which the Gnosticks held that their faith did iustifie for the excellency of it Vses 1. It cleereth obiections about this doctrine First this doth serue to cleere some obiections about this doctrine For to some wee seeme not well aduised to exclude workes from iustification when faith is an habite and worke of the soule as is loue and other graces of the spirit and others may think that wee prize faith at too high a rate to make it that which doth giue vs righteousnesse and procure vs title to that super excellent waight of glory It vvere somewhat that these say if we did reach that faith did iustifie as a worke or should make faith it selfe our righteousnesse vvhich formally doth so present vs to God But that is farre from our minde It is Iesus Christ onely that is our righteousnesse it is onely his obedience by and for which we are righteous before the Lord. Faith hath no further hand and stroke in this weighty worke then as it doth looke to Christ lay hold and possesse vs of him that wee may haue him vvith his merits to present to GOD in our behalfe 2. It comforteth the weake in faith Secondly this doctrine doth not a little comfort those that are weake in faith Weakenesse of faith is a want that many of Gods people doe bewaile in themselues and for which they do wel-nigh despaire of themselues And it is a worthy grace to be strong in faith as was Abraham For by it the heart is stablished against all assaults and is filled with peace and ioy in all estates and the more our faith is the more doe we abound in the assurance of our iustification and the pardon of our sinnes Notwithstanding let not any be out of heart for the small and scanty measure of his faith if he haue true faith It is not the excellencie and great measure of his faith that doth make him righteous before God Since faith is not our righteousnesse But Christ but ●hrist whom faith doth receiue and apprehend which a weake faith can doe as well as the strongest Say not then my faith is weake and feeble Is it a true and sincere faith which renouncing all other matter of righteousnesse doth depend and cast it selfe on Christ for pardon of sinne and saluation Be then of good comfort thou art as fully and perfectly righteous before God as he that hath the strongest faith in the world For thou hast Christ who is righteousnesse and perfect righteousnesse to euery one that doth beleeue euen as well to him that beleeueth with a feeble faith if a true one as to him that beleeueth with a strong faith Who is apprehended by a weake faith as wel as a strong Euen to saluation Looke not then on thy faith but consider him that is Iesus Christ on whom thy faith doth looke and repose it selfe and know that he is righteousnesse alsufficient to thee They that did looke on the Brazen Serpent but with one eye yea but with halfe an ey were as well and fully cured of the deadly stings of the fiery serpents as those which beheld it with both If the Prince bee disposed to bestow on sundry male factors their Pardon or some precious Iewels vpon Beggers they are as fully acquitted from their sinnes and made as rich by the possession of that Iewell which accept of these albeit with shaking and trembling as they that receiue them with lusty and strong hands Euen so is the case heere Hast thou but a dimmish faith yet such a one as doth looke vp to Christ and onely to him for saluation Hast thou but a weake trembling faith yet such a one as thou doest reach out to receiue Christ that rich Pearle of heauen and the pardon of thy sinnes offered in him and doest claspe it about him with all thy feeble strength Make no doubt but that thou art iustified in the sight of God doest stand clearely acquitted from all thy sinnes and shalt be healed of all their deadly stings It is the possession of the Iewell not their strong holding of it that doth make those beggers rich and the Kings Pardon that doth discharge Malefactors from the danger of the Law so they be willing to accept and pleade the same And so it is not our strong Since the true possession of him saueth vs not our strong hold of him or weake faith that is our righteousnesse and discharge before God but Iesus Christ and his obedience This onely is required on our part that we accept him offered vs in the Gospell and relye on him for full righteousnesse and redemption which