Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	believe_v	faith_n	justification_n	5,240	5	9.4416	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81305	Seven arguments to prove, that in order of working God doth justifie his elect, before they doe actually beleeve With some answers to the objections that some make against the same. For the confirmation of those that doe truly beleeve, lest they should attribute any part of the office of Christ to the act of their beleeving.	Denne, Henry, 1606 or 7-1660?	1643 (1643)	Wing D1024A; ESTC R230240	4,609	16

of Cardinall Bellarmine this confession as the Apostle teacheth Rom. 5. That Christ may be put on without a proper act of our soule I confesse I differ from the Cardinall in his meanes of putting on Christ yet this his confession I acknowledge to be true Argument VI. WHere there is full satisfaction made and the partie offended accepting that satisfaction and contented to rest in it there must needes follow perfect remission of sinnes But in Christ crucified before we beleeved was full satisfaction made and God was contented to rest in that satisfaction Therefore there will follow perfect remission of sinnes c. First that there was full satisfaction made in Christ is proved Heb. 10. 11 12 13 14 vers For by one offering hee hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified But the second that God is therewith contented to rest in that satisfaction wee have the witnesse of the Father Matth. 3. 17. This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased Aquiesco saith Beza See Esay 53. 11. Hee shall see the travaile of his soule and shall be satisfied Argument VII IF wee are not justified in his sight before wee beleeve then are wee unjust sinners workers of iniquitie then doth the Lord hate us for hee hateth all the workers of iniquitie Psal 5. You know what absurditie will follow if you say wee must beleeve before God can love us But if God hate us to day and love us to morrow let Arminius with his disciples heare this and wonder why they should be blamed that say Wee may be loved to day and hated to morrow Children of God to day and of the Devill to morrow when they who would seeme their greatest Adversaries will not spare to say Wee may be hated to day and loved to morrow the Children of the Devill to day and of God to morrow But that God loved us first before wee beleeved when wee were enemies in our bloud c. is so plaine that I will not willingly so dishonour you as once to conceive that you will denie it Here is an end of the seven Arguments which if need had required might have beene seventie Now I will answer the Objections Objection 1. VVee are justified by Faith therefore not before Faith Answer First it should have concluded not before the act of beleeving Secondly I denie the consequence and say wee may be justified both by it and yet before in a different sense This Proposition VVee are justified by Faith is very ambiguous Hee was not a Foole who an hundred yeares since said That this Proposition was one of those things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they doe other Scriptures to their owne destruction 2 Pet. 3. 16. I would our Age had not proved it true that the misunderstanding of this Proposition hath turned upside downe the Doctrine of Justification amongst pudling Preachers There is in this Proposition two words ambiguous and doubtfull The first Justified which sometimes in Scriptures signifieth to be reputed reckoned or accounted Just as It is God that justifieth Sometimes it is taken for to be declared or manifested to be Just as By workes a man is justified James 2. 24. If you take Justified in the first sence wee say wee are not reputed or reckoned Just by the act of beleeving If you take Justified in the second sence I say wee are justified that is declared to be Just by beleeving Faith manifesting to our Consciences that wee are Just before God By Faith wee understand that God hath freely justified us in his Sonne Another word ambiguous in this Proposition is Faith which is diversly taken sometimes for the act of Faith or beleeving and sometimes for the object of Faith the thing beleeved as Faith was reckoned unto him for righteousnesse Rom. 4. that is the object of Faith So that it is all one as if hee had said God or Christ was reckoned to him for righteousnesse If wee understand the act of Faith then I say as before wee are not reckoned Just by the act of our Faith if by Faith wee understand the object of our Faith then I say wee are reckoned or reputed Just by God in by or through Christ Jesus our Faith Objection 2. Hee that beleeveth not is condemned alreadie John 3. 18. Answer This is all one with Hee that beleeveth not shall be damned which you must understand of finall unbeleefe which I grant to be a Note of Damnation Objection 3. Without Faith it is impossible to please God therefore wee cannot be justified without it Answer I denie the Consequence and I perceive so will you also when you please For you will affirme a justified person may displease God and then why is it not possible for a man to displease God and yet be justified To please God is so to doe those things which God approves in us to be well done which wee cannot doe without Faith That this is the meaning of the Apostle is plaine by his reason For he that commeth unto God must beleeve c. Wee cannot come unto God before wee beleeve but cannot God come unto us before wee beleeve Now Justification is Gods act upon a sinner not a sinners act upon God This also answereth the fourth Objection Whatsoever is not of Faith is sinne Objection 5. VVee are by nature the Children of wrath c. Answer This were of some force if you could prove us altogether in the estate of nature as well in Gods account as in our esteeme and so quite exempted from grace untill wee beleeve which you cannot doe for the Apostle witnesseth the contrary 2 Tim. 1. 9. According to his owne purpose and grace given us before the world began if grace were given before the world began surely before ever wee beleeved God is Alpha and Omega therefore what hee promiseth shall come to passe to his is done with him Rev. 21. 6. For his works were finished from the foundation of the world Heb. 4. 3. And so I rest A Servant of Jesus Christ to live and dye H. D.

SEVEN ARGUMENTS to prove that in order of working God doth justifie his Elect before they doe actually beleeve With some Answers to the Objections that some make against the same For the confirmation of those that doe truly beleeve lest they should attribute any part of the Office of Christ to the act of their beleeving Ezekiel 16. 2 3 4 5 6. Sonne of man cause Ierusalem to know her abominations And say Thus saith the Lord God unto Ierusalem Thy ●●●th and thy nativitie is of the land of Canaan thy father ●as an Amorite and thy mother an Hittite And as for thy nativitie in the day that thou wast borne ●●y navill was not cut neither wast thou washed in water to ●●pple thee thou wast not salted at all nor swadled at all None eye pittied thee to doe any of these things unto thee ●●●t thou wast cast into the open field to the loathing of thy ●●●son in the day that thou wast borne And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine ●●ne blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live 〈◊〉 I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live Printed in the yeare 1643. SEVEN ARGVMENTS to prove that in order of working God doth iustifie his Elect before they doe actually beleeve With some Answers to the Objections that some make against the same THis Proposition being contradicted VVe are justified before God before the act of our beleeving This is the Proposition which I doe now undertake to vindicate by the assistance of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ whose honour is not a little concerned in it I will first of all lay downe seven Arguments for the confirmation of the Truth and then I will answer unto five Objections brought by some ag●inst it The Proposition We are justified before God before the a●● of our beleeving Argument I. LEt me speake for those that are not abl● to speake for themselves I meane th● little Babes to whom belongs the Kingdome of God I argue thus Infants do● not beleeve But Infants are justified Therefore some that doe not beleeve are justified Which if it be granted it will follow tha● some are justified before they beleeve Tha●● Infants are justified need no proofe Tha●● Infants beleeve not must be proved ●●though the Church of England hath lon● since put it out of doubt First Faith commeth by hearing Rom. 10. 17. How sh●● they beleeve in him of whom they have n●● heard Shall wee say that Infants in th● Wombe heare the Word Secondly Fait● is a Knowledge as some say a Perswasion as others a T●●st as others But Infan●● are capable neither of Trust Perswasion O● Knowledge therefore Infants are not capable of Faith But some have said That Infants heare the Word of God beleeve in God and love God in an un●nowne way is sometimes John Baptist sprang in his Mothers Wombe for joy at the salutation of the Blessed Virgin But Saint Augustin● did answere long agoe not more wittily then truly That this was done by a singular Miracle Neither doth this conclude other Infants to beleeve any more then wee may conclude all Asses to be good Counsellors because wee reade that Balaams Asse spake more wisely then her Master Argument II. HE that is in Christ is justified But we must be in Christ before we can beleeve Therefore we must be justified before we can beleeve The Major is plaine the Minor is proved That we most be in Christ before we can beleeve To beleeve is a fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5. But wee must be in Christ before wee can bare fruit Therefore wee must be in Christ before wee can beleeve Joh. 15. 4. As the Branch cannot beare frui● of it selfe except it abide in the Vine 〈◊〉 more can yee except yee abide in me Secondly if Faith be a good fruit it is required that men must be good Trees before they can bring it forth otherwise Grape● should be gathered of Thornes and Figge● of Thistles Matth. 12. 33. If you will the Argument may be this He that hath th● Spirit of Christ hath Christ But wee have the Spirit before wee beleeve Therefore we● have Christ before wee beleeve Argument III. ALL the Elect of God are justified before God But some of the Elect of God doe not yet beleeve Therefore some that doe not beleeve are justified before God and so by consequence before they beleeve The Major is proved They that cannot be charged with any thing are justified But none of the Elect of God can be charged with any thing Therefore the Elect are justified The Minor is proved Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifies Who is hee that condemneth it is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen againe Rom. 8. 33. He rose againe for our justification Rom. 4. 23. Argument IV. THey that have their sinnes taken away are justified But the Elect have their sinnes taken away before they beleeve Ergo The Elect are justified before they beleeve The Major is proved Blessed is the man whose iniquitie is forgiven and whose sinne is covered Rom. 4. 7. The Minor That the Elect have their sinnes taken away before they beleeve is proved Joh. 1. 29. Behold the Lambe of God that takes away the sinnes of the world and Esay 35. 8. The Lord hath layd on him the iniquities of us all and 1 Pet. 2. 24. Himselfe bare our sinnes in his owne body on the Tree and Rom. 6. 6. Our old man is crucified with him that the body of sinne might be destroyed Did Christ take away sinne or not Did hee beare them Did hee destroy the body of sinne If you say No how will you escape the Sword of the Spirit If you say Yea I desire no more Argument V. WE were made sinners in the first Adam before we had done good or evill Therefore we are made righteous in the second Adam before we have done good or evill This consequence is proved Rom. 5. 18 19. As by the offence of one Judgement came upon all men to Condemnation even so by the righteousnesse of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life for as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous If you shall place the Emphasis of this Text in All and Many you will cause the hearts of the universall Gratians to leape for joy which I beleeve you would not willingly doe Therefore you must be forced to place the Emphasis in As and So As wee sinned all in the loynes of the first Adam So were wee all made righteous in the loynes of the second Adam The Lord Christ. And this agreeth with the Ministerie of Reconciliation to wit That God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe not imputing their trespasses unto them 2 Cor. 5. 19. Truly this Argument was of so great force that it did wring out