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
A30582	Gospel remission, or, A treatise shewing that true blessedness consists in pardon of sin wherein is discovered the many Gospel mysteries therein contained, the glorious effects proceeding from it, the great mistakes made about it, the true signs and symptomes of it, the way and means to obtain it / by Jeremiah Burroughs ; being several sermons preached immediately after those of The evil of sin by the same author, and now published by Philip Nye ... [et al.]	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.; Nye, Philip, 1596?-1672.	1668 (1668)	Wing B6081; ESTC R4316	194,926	239

the justification of a sinner 't is one of the greatest Doctrines in Divinity and therefore that you might sanctifie the Name of God in it and give him that glory that is due in this great work it is needful to search that we may find out what is the work of God in it Of the ninth Mystery When God forgives sin for the present he forgives all to come 9. The ninth mystery is this and this may seem one of the strangest of all When God forgives a sinner any one sin for the present he likewise forgives him all the sins that ever he shall commit afterward this is a mighty mystery for God when he takes a poor soul and forgives him his sin he does not only forgive him his present and past sins but lays in a pardon for all the sins that ever shall be committed by him afterwards this is a way of pardoning sin proper to God alone there is no creature pardons the offence one of another so as God pardons here therefore the Prophet cries out Micah 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgressions of the remnant of his heritage Who is a God like to thee who in all the world can pardon sin as God doth No Father pardons the sin of a Child no Prince the sin of a Subject as God doth Now because this is a point of admirable comfort to all the Saints of God 't is fit it be opened and made out that when God pardons sin at first he gives in a pardon for all they shall commit afterwards I manifest it thus in Rom. 8.1 the Apostle says There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus from whence I argue Except God did pardon whatsoever sins should be committed when he justifies a sinner then at any time when a justified person sins until he renew an act of faith for pardon there must be condemnation to him for whosoever is in such an estate as hath any sin unpardoned for that instant he is in the state of condemnation But there is no instant of time when it can be said of any justified person that he is in the state of condemnation I say no instant of time for though a justifi'd person may fall into sin after he is justified yet at that instant when he falls into that sin there is by God apply'd a pardon that was laid in before although an act of faith be not renewed in regard of that particular sin that is the point I would make good though it be true there is required as our duty an act of faith to lay hold on our pardon yea also it is required in respect of comfort too for we cannot have comfort of the pardon of a new sin committed except there be a renewal of an act of faith But yet this renewal of an act of faith though it be necessary because commanded and for our comfort yet no absolute necessity to free us from condemnation but being once justified by Christ there is a pardon laid up so that upon any act of sin newly committed this pardon is apply'd by God himself though we be not able by the renewal of a present act of faith to sue out pardon anew unto our selves Nay the truth is if this were not so there could be no instant of time wherein a believer was not in the state of condemnation for there is no instant of time wherein a believer doth not some way or other sin against God Further it is apparent and undeniable that there is not a necessity of renewing an act of faith upon every sin committed for the pardon of it this Argument cannot be denyed because otherwise there must be a necessity of renewing an act of faith after the last act a believer doth for in the last action a believer doth in this world there is some sin it Now if there be some sin in the last act of all then there cannot be of necessity required another act for the applying of the pardon of that sin a believer did do in the very last act he did in this world those that hold a believer cannot finally fall away yet say he may totally many hold that if once a man be justified he can never go to Hell but yet this they hold that he may so sin that he may be brought into a state of condemnation he may be brought into such a state that if he should die at that present he should perish but say they God doth take care that he shall not die till there be a renewing of an act of faith for pardon I answer there is nothing in Scripture to prove there is not any instant of time wherein a believer may not die and yet if he do die he must then perish because an act of faith was not renewed true say they further that all sins bring not into the state of condemnation there may be pardon of course for sins of infirmity but other sins that wast a mans Conscience there a believer is brought into the state of condemnation till there be a new act of faith renewed for pardon I answer If any one sin bring a believer into the state of condemnation after Conversion where shall we put the limits as to say if you go but thus far you are not in a state of condemnation but if you go a letter further you are God puts no such limits in Scripture but all sin in its own nature brings into a state of condemnation and yet no sin brings a believer into the state of condemnation therefore this is a great mystery of God in the pardoning of sin when God pardons the sin of a believer he does not only pardon what he hath done at present but for what he shall do he lays in a pardon and Christ hath purchas 't it for us for all sins yet to come 't is like a Son running into arrears his Father comes and pays his debts but because he sees his Son will run further into arrears he lays in so much as will pay all for time to come that if he run into arrears he shall not be cast into Prison just so it is with God God pardons all our sins at first and then he lays up a Pardon that if we run into arrears we shall not lie in Prison to be condemn'd and suffer for them This is a great mystery and they that teach otherwise rob the people of God of abundance of comfort that otherwise they might have were this Truth made clearly known unto them Is not this Doctrine a Doctrine of Liberty If they have knowledge that God when he pardons for what sins are past and lays in a Pardon for what sins are yet to come May not People hence take liberty to sin May not they say that though they do sin yet there is a Pardon laid in before hand for them Here thou speakest as one that understands not

preach Morality and meerly the way of duty and never come to make them see clearly the difference between the Covenant of grace and the Covenant of works and I appeal unto you who are they that most quiet and settle your Consciences and satisfie your spirits Are they not those Preachers that open the difference between the Covenant of grace and the Covenant of works Certainly those Preachers that shew you what the Covenant of grace is are the only men that quiet and satisfie Conscience and 't is a truth that nothing can do it but that You that are Christians how should you then labour to get a further insight into the Covenant of grace and instead of other Discourses less useful let this be the subject of your discourse the difference of the Covenant of works and the Covenant of grace or the blessings of this Covenant and that this is the Covenant that we must depend upon notwithstanding our weaknesses And now I am speaking of this Covenant that weakness may stand with the Covenant of grace many that have carnal hearts may be ready to abuse it take notice how dear the comforts of your souls cost God and God will have his Ministers to comfort you though the revealing of such things will indanger many a mans soul God is content to hazard the damnation of other men to comfort you for certainly those things that we speak for your comfort will be the damnation of many others Think thus O Lord must the comforts of my soul cost so dear and that for my comfort many souls are hazarded who by taking occasion to sin abuse that grace that is reached forth to me and so are like eternally to perish O then what need had I to make good use of this grace that comes to me with the hazard of the souls of so many others If a man should bring some precious Balsom to apply to a wound and tell him there is not one drop of it but cost a thousand pound at least would not this be highly prized Now when we come and shew you any thing that may comfort your hearts and satisfie your souls we must reveal such things that not only cost much but the least dram of Gospel-comforts cost that which was of infinite worth and 't is valuable two ways first every drop of the Balsom of the Gospel cost the blood of Christ but besides this the very revealing of it must cost the damnation of many souls and yet God is content to venture that that you may be comforted We in the Name of God come and preach the grace of the Gospel and we think many will be hardned by it and grow more secure and abuse Gods mercy but then we satisfie our selves with this that the comforting of any broken troubled soul is so precious in the eyes of Jesus Christ that he is content to venture the hardning of many other souls if they will be hardned let them be hardned Christ is content to venture it and hereby we see how precious these comforts are therefore you had need to prize them and not cast them off as suppose a Captain for the saving of the lives of two or three men should venture the lives of a thousand men meerly to save the lives of two or three were not these mens lives very precious to him so Jesus Christ he ventures the hardning of the hearts of many for the comforting of a few therefore it shews your comforts are precious things you should not easily put them off for they cost dear The seventh Rule in applying Evidences is this That when you cannot see the work of faith reaching to Assurance yet labour to put forth the work of faith of Adherence there may be much of the workings of the faith of adherence where there cannot be the faith of assurance that is certain there may be true faith adhereing to Christ for the pardon of sin where the soul hath no certain assurance of it Many poor creatures are crying out and saying if I had faith of assurance and a full perswasion my sins were pardoned I could be comforted but because they have not attained to a full perswasion and assurance they think they have no grace at all but there may be faith in the pardon of sin where there is not a reflect act of the soul whereby I come to know it hath faith and that its sins are pardoned 1. Joh. Chap. 2.3 he shews there that there may be knowledge and yet not know they do know Hereby we know that we do know him if we keep his Commandements hereby we know that we do know him now knowing of Christ and knowing that we do know him is not all one there is a knowing and a knowing that we do know him so there is a beleiving and a knowing we do beleive there may be a true work of grace that I may know Christ and know him to salvation and yet not know that I do know him that is by a reflect act of faith a knowing that I do know him so then where there is not a faith of assurance there may be a faith of adherence that is when the soul sticks to Christ and can giue it self unto and venture it self upon Christ for pardon of sin life and Salvation that is faith of adherence suppose in seeking my Evidences many of them being taken from the effects and friuts of faith I cannot find them and so cannot put forth a reflect act of the soul which is faith of assurance yet I may at that time have a faith of adherence thou may'st feel thy heart stick to Christ and thou may'st venture thy soul on Christ that faith will save thee though you have not a faith of assurance that is though you cannot find such Evidences whereby you may draw up such a conclusion or make up such a judgment that you are pardoned yet if you have a faith of adherence that you can stick to Ghrist and venture your soules on him for life and Salvation and all that is good that faith will save you and therefore upon examination of your Evidences when you cannot get up to such acts of faith as assurance is live then by a faith of adherence stick to Christ say here I will resolve to live and dye venture on the grace of God in Christ Now for the soul to do this it is a mighty work of faith for if you can venture your souls on Christ you will venture your Estates on Christ your Names on Christ and all that you have on Christ and therefore remember if you have not a faith of assurance then venture your selves on Christ by a faith of adherence and comfort will come in that way Eightly If at any time you feel comforts from Evidences flow in upon your souls and that you are able to apply the comforts to your selves that the Lord hath spoken to you by such and such signs of a pardoned sinner take heed