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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	condition_n	faith_n	justification_n	3,398	5	9.7058	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91998	A den of theeves discovered. Or certaine errours and false doctrines, delivered in a sermon at a visitation holden at Baldocke in the county of Hertford, Decemb. 9. 1641. By Henry Denne, curate at Pyrton in Hertfordshire. And since printed by his owne appointment. Contradicted justly by many of the auditors. And confuted by Thomas-Atvvood Rotherham, now rector of St John Zacharies, London, and sometimes vicar of Iclkeford in Hertfordshire, neare Hitchin. Here you have the point of iustification by free grace fully handled, together with many difficult places of Scriptnre [sic] (much abused) plainly expounded; and some speciall cases of conscience resolved, whereby the weakest Christian, in the greatest conflict, may gather true and solid comfort. With severall tables very necessary and usefull for the reader. Published by authority.	Rotherham, Thomas Atwood, d. 1657.	1643 (1643)	Wing R2000; Thomason E251_3; ESTC R212516	114,466	110

is justified passive in regard of us who doe by faith receive Christ without which we cannot be justified Thus you see how destructive his Doctrine is to the maine fundamentall point of our Religion to wit justification by faith So much pressed upon us by Christ and his Apostles and by him denyed And justification without Faith in the sight of God is such a justification as I never read of in Scripture We come to his objection and his answer to it Pag. 36. at the latter end But it will be objected How then is faith said to justifie I answer sayes he if we take faith for the object of our faith That is Christ then faith is properly said to justifie us for by him wee are justifyed he being our Righteousnesse Marke here how he contradicts himselfe He sayes before he cannot conceive how faith should put on Christ and apply Christ and that Christs righteousnesse is made ours before God by Gods imputation before the Act of our Faith and therefore necessarily without it And now confesseth that Faith being taken for the object of our Faith Christ then it is properly said to justifie us and thus it is properly said to justifie Christ being apprehended by Faith Rom. 3.28 Therefore we conclude a man is justified by Faith without the workes of the Law So it is taken in the Treatise of Justification wheresoever Faith is written without expresse mention of Christ we are to understand the righteousnesse of Christ received by Faith Heb. 10.38 Now the just shall live by Faith And doth he not overthrow his Doctrine before delivered when he concludes That Faith taken for the object of our Faith doth properly justifie and how can that be without Faiths apprehension of the object Wee will make this more plaine if it may bee Rom. 3.22 Even the righteousnesse of God which is by Faith of Jesus Christ The (f) Ea est fides Jesu Christi non active quam ipse Christus habet sed passive qua ipse Christus habetur seu posside●ur Affert haec fides justitiam non effective quasi habitualiter aut form●li ●r justos efficiat nec materialiter quasi ipsa sit illud quo justi cens●n●ur sed objective quatenu● fertur in Christum qui est justitia nost●a● et organice quat●nus instar manus donum ●●●●itiae gratis prop●er Christi meri●um credentib imputatae apprehendit Pare Com. in loc Faith of Christ is not here taken actively for the Faith which Christ had but passively for the Faith whereby Christ is had and possessed This Faith doth not justifie effectively as working an habituall justice or righteousnesse in us nor materially as though Faith it selfe were that whereby we are justified but it justifieth objectively as it apprehendeth Christ and instrumentally as it applyeth the righteousnesse of Christ Object How are we said to be justified freely seeing Faith is required which is an act in the beleever This Objection may bee urged further thus That is freely bestowed which is conferred without any helpe or worke in the receiver seeing then a man must bring Faith which is a worke of the will how is he said to be justified freely The Answer is that we are (g) Si fides qua ratione actus quidam est et ex se justitiam saceret gratis justitia non daretur at id non habet Ego pauperi scutum gratis porrigo quod ille extensa manua me accipit si quis mihi objiceret tu gratis non dedisti nam et pauper manum extendit nec acciperetnisi id faceret ridicula prosecto esset objectio extensio en im manus non habet ex se scutum adferre extendenti si enins id esset quoties manum extenderet scutum haberet A virtute potius et liberalitate dantis est scutum quamvis illi per manuum extensionem applicetur ita defide Tolet. ad Rom. cap. 3. Annot. 20 Deus imputans nobis justitiam Christi dat nobis fidem qua illam applicate valeamus Machowius quae de stat primi hominis Disput 7. justified freely although the condition of Faith be required because Faith doth not justifie as it is an act of ours but all the vertue thereof proceedeth from the object as the Israelites being healed by looking upon the Brasen Serpent obtained not their health by the very act of opening their eyes but by the object which they beheld which was the Serpent And like as when a rich man giveth his Almes unto the poore though he stretcheth out his hand to receive it yet it is said notwithstanding to be a free gift but adde here further that as when a blind man putteth forth his hand but he that giveth is faine to direct it to receive the almes or if a man have a weake and withered hand which he is not able to stretch out unlesse the other that giveth doth lift it up in this case every way the gift is free So our will is not of it selfe apt to beleeve or will any thing aright unlesse the Lord direct it Faith then being both the worke of God in inclining our will and Faith receiving all the vertue from the object which it apprehendeth namely Christ it remaineth that Faith notwithstanding wee are justified freely And the act of faith thus taken as we have set it downe doth according to Scripture stand in opposition to justification by workes And thus Christ in the Covenant of grace is set forth upon some condition to wit that we beleeve in him which condition God doth not onely require at our hand but doth by his Spirit freely give us and enable us to performe it And Christ freely given and all is done of Gods free grace and mercy It may be objected men may be justified before they doe beleeve and so without Faith for they are justified in Gods decree from all eternitie I answer God hath decreed before all time to justifie some men in time but not without Faith that being an effect of Gods decree and beleeving being that way by which God hath ordained to justifie and save men (g) Docet autem hic locus fidem ab election Dei dependere Calvin in loc Act. 13.48 And as many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved Gal. 3.24 that we might be justified by Faith and in the 26. Verse for yee are all the children of God by Faith in Christ Jesus it is plaine by these places of Scripture that God never made any such decree as to justifie any man before he doth beleeve and it is blasphemy to charge such an Act upon God For to justifie a man before he doth beleeve is to justifie him in his (h) Id est impietatem impi● Lapid Com. in loc sinfull wayes which God abhorreth and is contrary to his proclamation Exod. 34.7 that hee will by no meanes cleare the (i) Nempe impoenitentem in peccatis suis sibi placentem Rive● Com. in loc guiltie

Againe it is plaine (k) Ratio quasi a priori est quod deus per essentiam sit ipsa justitia increata immensa fontalis ab ●a ergovelut a sonte manat omnis justitia creata angelorum hominum quam proinde ut suam amat ac vice versa odit abominatur omnem injustitiam quasi sibi essentialiter contrariam et a daemone prosectam Cornel. à Lap. Com. in loc Prov. 17.15 He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just even they both are abomination to the Lord will God who is the fountaine of justice doe that himselfe which he hateth in others if that place be alleadged Rom. 4.5 But to him that worketh not but beleeveth on him that justifieth the ungodly and therefore a man is justified before he beleeves the meaning is expounded in these words of the Verse his faith is counted for righteousnesse so that this must be understood in sensu diviso in a divided sense That God justifieth the wicked not him that remaineth wicked but was so before he was justified And the Schoole doth briefely resolve this God justifieth the ungodly Antecedenter antecedently that is him who before justification was ungodly not consequenter consequently that is him who after justification remaineth ungodly Pag. 36. towards the latter end saith he if we take Faith for the Act of our Faith apprehending this object then we are justified by it declaratively in our consciences and concludes that Faith doth onely justifie declaratively speaking to our consciences that wee are the children of God in Christ Jesus Thus you see hee doth exclude faith altogether from justifying a sinner in the sight of God And that it is onely said to justifie because by it we come to be certaine and to have assurance in our consciences that wee are justified in the sight of God and as it doth declare unto us our justification in the court of conscience Two grosse absurdities will follow upon Faiths declarative justification onely as he calls it The first is that Faith doth not at all justifie which is point blacke contrary to the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles for it is one thing to be and another thing to appeare to be Faith having no hand at all in the being of Justification but in the making of it appeare to be So that I am first justified in the sight of God by Gods imputation without Faith and afterwards Faith comes and makes it appeare to me that I am justifyed And by it I come to have assurance in my conscience that it is so The second absurdity will be this That where there is not assurance there is no faith Faith being as he concludes onely an assurance that I am justifyed What will a distressed Conscience in case of spirituall desertion doe this doctrine makes him desperate for by this he argues the case thus Faith is nothing but an assurance to me in my conscience that I am justifyed in the sight of God but I want this assurance therefore I am without Faith and consequently in a damned condition as the case now stands with me Is this preaching Christ and free grace but I say a man may want in his owne apprehension this assurance and yet he may have Faith Gods people sometimes are in such a condition that they cannot see so much as a glimpse of Gods favour Nay the contrary They conclude themselves forsaken of God and cast-awayes what 's become now of assurance but for all this dare any man say that men in this condition have no Faith Nay they are upheld by the secret support of Faith otherwise in such a condition they would despaire as Judas did but it is plaine by Scripture that a childe of God may want assurance and yet by Faith stay himselfe upon God Isay 50.10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voyce of his servant that walketh in darknesse and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay himselfe upon his God Take faith for the act of Faith apprehending the object and so we are justified by faith onely in the sight of God in regard whereof the salvation of all that truely beleeve is sure and certaine though they perhaps be not assured thereof for this is the promise of the Gospell that whosoever beleeveth on him should not perish but have life everlasting Take faith in reference to the Subject for that which doth declare our justification to our consciences and herein (a) Fides illa proprie dicitur justificans qua incumbimus in Christum ad remissionem pecca orum salutem Christus enim est adaequatū objectū fidei quatenus fides justificat fides enim non alia ratione justificat nisi quatenus a●prehendit illam justitiam propter quam justificamur illa autem justitia non est in veritate alicujus axiomat●s cui assensum p●aebemus s●● in Christo solo qui factus est pro nobis peccatum ut nos essemus in ipso justitia 2 Cor. 5 21. fides ista justificans s●a natura producit atque adeo conjunctam secum habet specia●em ac certam persuasionem de gratia ac misericordia Dei in Christo Ames Medul Theol. lib. 1 cap. 27. de Just faith cannot not be said properly to justify for this is an effect of justifying faith There are two degrees of justifying Faith the one being a lively assent to the promise of the Gospell the other a sound application thereof to our selves by the former as being the condition of the promise we are justified in the Court of Heaven by the latter in the Court of our owne conscience which is not properly called justification but the application of justification for a man must first be justified in the sight of God before he can be perswaded in his conscience of his justification otherwise his perswasion is a false perswasion and a meere delusion By the former we are justified before God by the latter we are perswaded in our conscience and in some measure assured of our justification For the further clearing of this distinction of Faith let us consider the differences betweene the two degrees by the former as I have said we are justified before God in the Court of heaven by the latter we are justified in the Court of our owne Conscience by the former we are justified properly by the latter we are assured of our justification I take this assurance to be an act of experience flowing from justifying Faith Of the justification which we have by the first degree which is properly so called there are no degrees (b) Justitia nobis imputata persecta aequalis est in omnibus credentibus Wolleb Compend Theol. lib. l.c. 30. but of that which we have by the second degree which is not justification but the assurance of it there are degrees according to the measure of Faith of necessity we must hold this distinction

sinne with amendment of life make Christs Righteousnesse ours in the sight of God according as he layes it downe in his fearefull conclusion We say that we are justified in the sight of God by (n) Non tantum fidem justificare sed etiam solam justificare neque admittere in cam societatem ullam aliam virtutem ulla opera quaecunque sint quocunque censeantur nomine quocunque comprehendantur genere id est non spe non charitate non poenitentia non receptione Sacramentorum non castitate non justitia non pietatte sua quenquam posse justificari sed tantum fide Chamier Paustrat Cathol Tom. 3. de Justific lib. 22. cap. 1 fol. mihi 923. 17. faith alone without the workes of the Law and so we are made partakers of Christs righteousnesse and that becomes ours in the sight of God Gal. 2.16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the workes of the Law but by the faith of Jesus Christ c. We hold that Faith doth justifie alone and doth not admit into its society any other vertue any other worke whatsoever neither can any man be justified by his hope charity Repentance receiving the Sacraments chastity righteousnesse piety but onely by Faith True faith absolutely considered cannot be separated from workes it is not without charity and repentance but considered relatively in its relation it justifieth without workes So that although true Faith cannot be without good workes as Saint James saith Faith without workes is dead nor good workes rightly considered cannot be without faith yet in regard of justification they are manifestly in opposition the one against the other And such is the nature of opposites that they cannot stand together if one be laid downe the other of necessity must be taken away Lay this downe for a ground that we are justified by Faith then justification by workes must needes be denyed We cannot conceive any moment of time wherein Justifying Faith is without good workes in regard of their (o) Particula sola removet opera non ab actu praes●n●iae sed a communicatione efficientiae hoc est non ut adesse fidei justificatis sed fidei in a●●● justification● ●o op●●a●i n●g●● tur Ge●hard locor t●m 3. de Justi● Se●t 6 fol. mihi 607. presence but they doe not communicate or doe any thing neither have they any hand in Justifying of a sinner in the sight of God but are onely standers by And thus we deny that sorrow for sinne with amendment of life justifie us before God neither doe we joyne them with f●●h in point of justification of a sinner in the sight of God let ●●m but name any one Protestant W●●er or any Divine in all 〈◊〉 Country that is guilty of that which he here layeth to th●● charge I perswade my selfe he cannot To taxe the Protestants with a thing contrary to their Doctrine which they openly professe and have with their owne hand subscribed to he sheweth himselfe most injurious and unchristian When he preached his Sermon his aime was to blemish the Ministers and now he hath done it in Print but let him produce any man if he can That he may recant his false Doctrine if he have delivered it and be brought to the knowledge of the truth or if not that he may recant his false aspersion and be taught hereafter to speake the truth Whereas in his conclusion he saith Faith and sorrow for sinne with amendment of life justifie us before God or at least concurre actively to our justification Oh fearefull conclusion in regard of the false inventour The Protestants conclude no such thing They hold that faith it selfe alone justifyeth onely passively as it receiveth (p) Propterea in stam controversiae dictum fidem justificare non quatenus opus est five per se sed relative id est quatenus siguificat applicationem justitiae Christi id est non nostrae sed alienae Chamier Tom 3. de fide Justif lib. 22. cap. 11. fol. 957. Christ not actively in respect of the worke and merit thereof For we are justified by the Righteousnesse of God which is by Faith of Jesus Christ Rom. 3.22 but the Act and worke of Faith is a part of mans Righteousnesse not of Gods therefore so faith (q) Quatenus fides est opus pars quaedam inhaerentis renovationis River Catholic Orthod Tom. 2. fol. 260. Non privamus cam bonis operibus sed duntaxat excludimus bona opera a causis efficientibus justificationis bona opera non praecedunt justificandum sed sequuntur justificatum Polanus Syntagm fol. mihi 456. justifyeth not but as it apprehendeth the righteousnesse of God in Christ faith whereby we are justifyed is to be considered partly as it is passive partly as it is active It is passive in apprehending the promises of God in Christ and applying Christ with all his benefits in which respect faith onely justifyeth It is also active in bringing forth good fruites and quickning of us unto every good worke but so it justifyeth not faith then is inseparably joyned with hope and love and necessarily yeeldeth in us good fruites but none of all these doe concurre with Faith in the Act of Justification but it is the office onely of Faith to apply unto us the Righteousnesse of Christ whereby onely we are made righteous before God So that you see we doe hold that faith it selfe doth not concurre actively to our justification much lesse then sorrow for sinne and amendment of life Faith is considered sometime as a quality and gift of God inherent in us but hitherto and in this respect it justifieth not but as it is in the predicament of Relation because it apprehends Christ in the Gospel If it be objected that apprehension is an action Faith therefore to be a worke It is answered that although according to Grammar apprehension is a word active yet in signication it is truely passive For to apprehend is to receive good things offered as the Apostle useth the phrase Phil. 3.12 If I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus Faith receives those good things offered in the Gospell (r) Fides non exhibet aliquid Deo sicut charitas sed accipit oblata in Evangeliobona patitur sibi benefieri ut loquitur Lutherus est velut spiritualis manus quae oblatum thesaurum recipit Gerhard tom 3. locor col mihi 650. Gerhard speaking in Luthers words saith Faith suffers it selfe to be well done to and benefited and is the Spirituall hand which receiveth the Treasure offered and so is only passive Page 35. he confesseth some Protestants holy men d●e say that Christ is made ours in the sight of God by faith alone Christ being the garment our faith the hand that putteth this garment on Yet sayes he me thinkes that here is Christ set forth upon some Conditions and not so freely given You see he cannot agree with these holy

act of faith in (a) In nomen Christi credere est illum recipere tanquam filium dei salvatorem mundi ergo quinon credunt Christum non recipiunt Nam sine fide non recipitur Muscul com in loc justification which is to beleeve signifieth nothing but to receive Christ therefore the act of faith considered as I have here set it downe To say that Christs righteousnesse is made ours before God by Gods imputation before the Act of our faith and therefore necessarily without it This is blasphemy and false Doctrine The Scripture saith We are justified by Faith Here is a Doctrine quite contrary namely That we are justified without faith B●t Pag. 36. You see evidently that he labours to prove that we are justified by Gods imputation of Christs righteousnesse without faith to which purpose he argues thus Even as our sins were made Christs so Christs righteousnesse is made ours now how our sinnes were made Christs let the Prophet Esay (b) Id nunc repetit quod nimuum paenam quam nos exol vere debeamus deus ipsi imposuent candem vero ipse in se receperit tanquam voluntarius Gualter in Isa Hom. 267. speake Cap. 53.6 And the Lord hath layed on him the iniquity of us all that is the guilt and punishment of our iniquities well then the Lord layd it upon Christ and he willingly received it 1 Pet. 2.24 Who his owne selfe bare our sinnes in his owne body God layd them on him Christ by his passive obedience received this burthen as Heb. 5.8 He learned obedience by the things which he suffered So then according to his conclusion God layes our sinnes upon Christ and Saint Ambrose upon this Scripture saith that he did willingly receive those things which hee suffered So God layes Christs righteousnesse upon us by imputation and we by the passive obedience of Faith receive it And by this it is plaine that God imputeth Christs righteousnesse to none but such as doe beleeve for Imputation is an action of God freely accounting the righteousnesse of Christ to be his righteousnesse who beleeves in Christ Rom. 4.3.4 and it was imputed or accounted to him for righteousnesse that is Faith was imputed Faith here must be considered two wayes first as a qualitie in it selfe and thus it is imperfect and consequently cannot bee imputed unto us for our justification Again faith must be considered as an instrument or hand receiving Christ and in this regard beleeving is put for the thing beleeved and faith is imputed for righte ousnesse because by it we doe (c) Paulus addit●n ●rptetationem quod fide gratuita impu atio accip●atu Melanc● par 3. fol. mi●● 958. receive imputed righteousnes Rom. 5.17 They which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousnes to wit by faith shall reigne in life by one Jesus Christ These phrases of Speech Faith is imputed for righteousnes Faith justifieth of Faith or through Faith are Aequipollent of like force and signification When we say We are justified by faith or faith is imputed for righteousnesse it is to be understood correlatively the (d) Ostendimus sidem justificare non habitualiter ut est qualitas sed relate quia cortelatum fidei satisfactio meritum Christi fide apprehensum justificat Item organ●c● quia fides justitiam imputa●am accipit instar dext●ae Pareus in cap. 3. ad Rom. dub 8. correlate of faith is the imputed righteousnesse of Christ Faith then being the relate Christs righteousnes the correlate the one cannot be without the other for the Logician will tell you that relate and correlate considered as such that is according to relation they have their being together so that grant one you must needs grant the other to be take away the being of the one and he other cannot be For we cannot conceive so much as one individed instant of time wherein the one can have a being without the other but they have their being together at one and the same instant of time not one before or after the other As a father considered as a man so he hath the being of a man before his sonne but consider him as a father according to the relation added namely according to paternitie and filiation and so and in such manner the being of father and sonne is at one and the same instant To conclude Faith being the relate Christs righteousnesse made ours by Gods (e) Hoc lo●o sc Rom. 4.34 fides non potest sumi eo sensu ut imputetur ad justitiam quatenus est opus aliquod justitiae et virtutis in nobis sed quod nos dicimus quatenus fides sumitur pro correlato suomempe re credita fide apprehen sa justitia Christi Rivit Or●hod Cathol Tom. 2. pag. 260. imputation the correlate it cannot bee but where there is righteousnesse imputed there must needs be Faith for imputed righteousnesse and Faith of necessity have their being together for where no Faith is there is no imputed righteousnesse And it is a contradiction of an high nature not onely in (f) Relatum correlatum qua ralia simul sunt natura cognitione ideoque se mu●uo ponunt tollunt tam in essendo quam in cognoscendo Kekerman System log in praedicam Relati Can. 4. Logick but in the Scripture it selfe In this fourth Chap. to the Romans this word imputed is divers times repeated in the Doctrine of justification and is joyned unto Faith without which there is no imputation of Christs righteousnesse to us Imputation of righteousnesse and Faith have their being together grant one you must grant the other take away one you must take away the other Rom. 4.23.24 Now it was not written for his sake alone namely Abraham that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we beleeve on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead So that without beleeving Christs righteousnesse cannot be made ours before God There is no space of time betweene justification and justifying Faith for so soone as a man beleeves he is justified and so soone as he is justified hee beleeves Again the Apostle opposeth the Act of beleeving to justification by workes for the Act of beleeving is not our righteousnesse The proper action of Faith is apprehension and the Act of Faith in justification is beleeving or receiving Christs righteousnesse Now giving and receiving in regard of their relation stand or fall together Justification is (g) Justificatio solet distingui in Activam passivam Activailla dicitur quando deus justificat passiva quando justificatur peccator Distingui posse hic Justificationem patet ex ipsa ●erum natura si enim est quidam qui justificat quidam qui justificatur ergo est Activa Passiva justificatio Machowius Disput 17. active passive Active in regard of God that justifyeth Passive in regard of man who

men as though Christ in the Covenant of grace may not be set forth upon some condition and yet freely given Can a Covenant bemade without any condition is it not against the nature of a Covenant The word Covenant in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strictly taken is a league (s) Pactum est quod int●r aliquos convenit nam ut fiat pactum requiritur ut duae voluntates in idem conveniant reciproco consensu Bierlir Magn. Theatr. lib. 14. fol. 1. or agreement made betweene parties that are at variance containing in it a mutuall obligation And the Hebrew word hath the signification of friendly parting and of explaining the conditions of Agreement that a Covenant may be made it is required that two wills doe by a reciprocall consent agree in one and the same thing The Covenant of workes is a league touching the saving of some on condition of their perfect obedience Gal. 3.12 And the Law is not of faith but the man that doth them shall live in them see Levit. 18.5 It is plaine that perfect obedience is the condition of the Covenant of workes The Covenant of Grace is an agreement concerning men to be freely saved through faith in Christ Gal. 3.11 The just shall live by Faith May not Faith be said to be the condition required in this Covenant And is not Christ here set forth upon this condition and yet Christ and the condition too freely given to us of God as is fully made plaine (t) Fides hic consideratur non ut opus quoddam nostrum a Deo in nobis exci atum sed ut instrumentum quo recipimus amplectimur salutem ac gratiam est autem necesse ut accipias salutem ac gratiam si servari velis Itaque fides quatenus est instrumentum recipiens salutem nihil impedit quin salus tota sit gratuita Zanc. in loc qu. 2. Ephes 2.8 For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of our selves it is the gift of God The Lord resolving to give us Christ doth require at our hands that we should receive him and to this end giveth us faith that we might be enabled thereunto and therefore faith as it is an instrument receiving Christ with all his benefits doth not at all hinder but that Christ is freely given because that in our justification and salvation Faith doth not merit or doe any thing but onely receive Christ Whereas he saith He doth here professe his ignorance and that he cannot conceive how faith should put on Christ apply Christ or make Christ ours in the sight of God I beleeve him but because he hath not as yet had experience of such a worke of grace upon his owne soule must it therefore necessarily follow that no soule else hath had it because the foole hath said in his heart there is no God and he sayes true for in his heart there is no God must it therefore follow that there is no God in any mans heart I professe my selfe saith he to leane unto them that say that Christs righteousnesse is made ours before God by Gods imputation before the act of our faith and therefore necessarily without it By the Act of faith which doth consist in beleeving and receiving Christs righteousnesse imputed we doe not understand the work of faith but the (u) Inhaeremus firmiter oppositioni Apostolicae inter fidem opera Rom. 3.28 inter credere operari Rom. 4.5 inter gratiam opera Rom. 11.6 Joh. 6.29 Fides non vocatur opus nostrum sed opus Dei Gerhard locor tom 3. col mi●i 650. worke of God for so faith is called not our work but the worke of God Joh. 6.29 This is the worke of God that yee beleeve on him whom he hath sent therefore the Act of beleeving is the worke of God which none of the godly will deny t is plaine by the Apostles words Rom. 12.3 According as God hath dealt every man the measure of faith Musculus upon this place sayes that the act of beleeving is also our worke for it is not sayd here this is the worke of God that he should beleeve but that yee beleeve in him but yet this Act of beleeving this worke of ours as he calls it stands in absolute opposition to justification by workes in the sight of God as is plaine by our Saviours intent in this place wherein he doth labour to confute those who held justification by the workes of the Law He doth not say this is the worke of God that yee should be circumcised purified keepe the Sabbath and observe legall Rites and Ceremomies Neither doth he say these are the workes of God That yee repent that yee feare and love God above all and your neighbour as your selfe not but that these workes are necessary and commanded in Scripture and are the (w) Quae omnia non nisi piorum sunt et in Scripturis magno serio praecipiuntur nisique operante deo in nobis fieti nequeunt Tacitis his omnibus unum tantum fidei opus adducit dicens Hoc est opus dei c. Non quod reliqua pietatis opera non sint opera dei sed quod soli fid●i● cibus vitae aeternae deputatur Muscul Com. in loc workes of God but to shew that faith alone is required for the justification of a sinner in the sight of God that so hee might plainely overthrow Justification by Workes which they altogether insisted upon and therefore tells them that all their workes though never so holy and good availe nothing in the matter of justification but that they must be justified by faith alone This is the worke of God that yee beleeve on him whom hee hath sent Musculus upon this place to illustrate how this work of faith is Gods worke and our worke hath this comparison As the writing of the child whose hand the Schoole-master doth guide while he is a writing this is called the Boyes worke and his Masters Now consider the Master takes his Pen and placeth it in his hand hee frameth and fashioneth every Letter the boy must not stirre his hand in the writing one jot or tittle but as his master doth stirre and move it T is true the boy hath a hand in the writing but his hand is meerely (x) Passivum opus est ut ita loquar Calvin in loc passive the master doth all To apply this consider faith as a work in regard of justification Calvin upon this place takes that libertie to call it a passive worke and that it is so is plaine John 1.12 But to as many as receiv'd him to them gave hee power to bocome the Sonnes of God even to them that beleeve on his name You see then to beleeve is to receive Christ and though Tò Credere that is to beleeve be a Verbe active in regard of Nomination yet it is passive in regard of signification for that we call the