Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	faith_n	grace_n	habit_n	5,104	5	10.5147	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87161	A glimpse of divine light, breaking through a cloud of errours. Being an explanation of certain passages exhibited by anonymus, to the commissioners of White-Hall, appointed for approbation of publick preachers, against Joseph Harrison Gospel-preacher at Lund-Chappel in Lancashire, for the supposed delivering of which, he was denied approbation. / Published by the said Joseph Harrison, and proposed to the consideration of all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.	Harrison, Joseph.	1655 (1655)	Wing H897; Thomason E841_7; ESTC R207225	67,448	83

of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God If any say that a man may antecedently will regeneration or conversion by antecedaneous works of grace though not of nature I answer first It is said that God worketh in us to will Phil. 2.13 And to will is present with us who are born of God Rom 7.18 but never that he worketh it in them that are unborn So that secondly To will conversion is not a work of grace antecedent but subsequent thereunto and argues the Infant born and alive though yet it cannot tell so much but only cries thirsts and hungers for in this very willing there is a turning towards God and then undoubtedly a believing on the Lord Iesus And he that believeth is born of God 1 Iohn 5.1 Thirdly Christ puts not the except of entring into the Kingdom upon mans doings but upon Gods he sayes not except a man beget bear or convert himself but except a man be begotten born again or as some read it from above and be converted He cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven Mat 18.3 Vbi manebit liberum arbitrium ubi facere quod in se est cum hic fieri nos doceamur non facere non nos operemar sed Deus operetur facturae non factores sumus funditus scilicet ruit omnis Theologia superborum Thirdly Man neither is nor should be active in reference to the effecting either Faith or Repentance for if so either as an agent in the producing of them or as an agent in the using of means to procure the producing of them from and by God not in the former sense for first faith is not of our selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 It is given to you on the behalfe of Christ to believe Phil. 1.19 This is the work of God Iohn 6.29 Him hath God exalted to give Repentance unto Israel and Remission of sins Acts 5.30 Secondly Mr. Shepherd Mr. Baxter and before them Camero and Ferrius maintain that God doth not infuse a habit of Faith and Repentance whereby men are enabled antecedently by an inherent habitual grace to produce the acts of believing and repentance but doth himself say they first produce the first acts and then infuseth habits whereby men are enabled to act afterwards And if we should say with Mr. Kendal that faith is in us as the adjunct and hath to God only the relation of an effect that it denominates him alone the Authour of our believing though us the Believers because the subjects As the Boul only is said to runne and yet it is the man that is the cause of the motion I see little that Mr. Baxter is pleased or that others can say against it and not in the latter For first God hath appointed means to be used by the living through which he hath promised to beget faith in all the elect though for the present dead Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel Mar. 16.15 but of means appointed of God for the dead to use thereby to get faith or to procure the raising of themselves from and by God we read not If any say that prayer is a means then first If by prayer be meant the intercession of Christ it is granted for it is his intercession alone that procureth the actual collation of all those blessings purchased by himself in the flesh promised in the new Covenant by the Father and conveyed to us by the Spirit But if by prayer be meant any petitioning of ours then is prayer not a means to but a consequent of faith for first How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed Rom. 10.14 The interrogation is equivalent to a strong negation viz. they cannot Secondly Christ taught his Disciples to pray in faith not before nor for faith Mat. 21.22 unlesse by faith be meant the increase thereof and then we pray Lord increase our faith Luke 17.5 I believe Lord help my unbeliefe Mar. 9.24 Thirdly he called them to leave all and follow him before they asked him any such a thing You have not chosen me but I have chosen you John 15.16 and after he had called them he prescribeth them a form of prayer or teacheth them to pray after this manner saying Our Father which art in heaven c. Mat. 6.9 Luke 11.1 2. And is it now agreeable to that form or letter to teach men to preferre the petitions before they can say the Preface or to enjoyn them to pray thy Kingdome come before they can cry Abba or Our Father These men I fear would teach their Scholars all the Alphabet of Christianity before Christs Crosse all the petitions before the Preface and it is doubtful then that as some coppies do they will leave out the conclusion also and the observation of all the Commandments before that which stands in the front Scilicet I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt Secondly God hath made no promise to an impenitent unbelieving man while such that upon condition of using such and such means or performing such and such duties he will bestow upon him either of those where it is said either implicitly or expressely if thou wilt do thus and thus I will give thee faith or I will give thee repentance And how any doing or dutying of man should be called means of getting any thing from God unlesse in a moral consideration and way of causation as conditions to some promise I have not yet learned from those Masters that stile one another the Orthodox Divines Thirdly though many enquired of the Apostles What they should do to be saved yet did never any ask what they should do to get Faith Repentance Conversion Regeneration or to get Christ into Christ nor did the Apostles leave any Directions or Rules to be observed by such Querists in future times but brought the word nigh unto them into their mouthes and into their hearts even the word of faith which we preach and tells them that faith comes by hearing and that hearing is not an Antecedent act of their own but that that also cometh by the word of God Rom. 10.8.17 The legal resolving of these Queries and the teaching of Nicodemus Disciples how to beget themselves the second time by entring into their own fleshly wombes is left to the Grand Casuists of these our dayes who can direct their followers how to beget that which is spirit of that which is flesh and how to get the fruits of the Spirit by doing the works of the Law can either ascend to heaven or go beyond the Sea to fetch such commandments as were neither given by Moses nor Christ that their Disciples may hear and do them and have their reward Fourthly Luther and other sensible believing men assert that Non nobis cogitantibus sapientibus volentibus oritur in nobis fides Christi sed incomprehensibili occulto opere spiritus

Anchorage for the soul Heb. 6.16 But all the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen unto the Glory of God 2 Cor. 1.20 And thence as there needeth not so there is not any other sure and stedfast ground of our future enjoying the things promised but the present indwelling of Christ in the heart by faith 2. As other foundation or ground of hope can no man lay than that is laid which is Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 3.11 So the very attempting to lay another ground is both an overturning of the Faith and a turning back unto the Law of Moses It being not the title and interest to the Kingdom or the Ius ad rem But the possession of the Kingdom or the Ius in Re that was promised in the law and to be hoped for by the Iewes in case they could observe it 3. Let works be made the condition upon which as some assert Christians must necessarily ground their hope of Glory and there will be no ground of hope left for such as walk in darkness and have no light Isa. 50.10 or that cannot by a reflexe Act discern themselves actually performing such and such conditions The conditional promises as a learned writer observeth being made rather to the Acts than Habits And least we as well as they should leave such poor souls comfortless consider First The admonition of the seven brethren in the forecited Epistle Scilicet there is a sturdy stoutness and unyieldingness of spirit in men against the blessed truths of the Gospel made known unto them they must have peace comfort and assurance their own way or else they reject all They would find a principle of life and power within themselves and not go to Christ for it they would bring something to Christ and not fetch all from Christ not knowing that the way which all believers have gone after much wearying of themselves to find some thing in themselves hath been at last to rowle themselves wholly upon the free grace of God through Jesus Christ seeing nothing in themselves yet giving glory to God by believing And if they could bring their hearts so disposed and qualified yet they see the danger of resting in what they are have and do And if want of such and such conditions and qualifications had ground enough to keep them from Christ it might have hindred any that ever did cast themselves upon the free grace of God because they would still have been at a losse finding a defect in them 2. That he that is born of God may have the seed remaining in him that he cannot sin and yet not always be able to bring forth the fruits of righteousnesse at least not always see himself so bringing forth for that the being of grace in doth not necessarily infer the seeing of grace by a christian That which we look upon as Luz may be Bethel the Lord in that place and yet Iacob knew it not Gen 28.16 The promise made good and applied to the soule and yet the soul not make good the condition nor apply it self unto the promise God be with us according to his word Heb. 6.13 and yet we as to our apprehensions at a distance from God Psal. 77.3 10.2 The Scriptures hold it forth as a firme qualication for a believer to see himselfe unqualified {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Poor or beggerly in spirit Mat. 5.3 and that then a man is in the fittest condition for the Kingdom of heaven to come to him when he sees himself able to perform no conditions whereupon he may ground his coming into the heavenly Kingdom {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} The poor are Gospellized Luke 7.22 the rich need not they can Gospellize unto themselves both fetch down a promise suitable to that condition they have performed and form a faith ad libitum out of that condition sutable to the promise 4. Though they be promises made to such and such conditions and such Christians as have them while they can certainly say and see they have them may ground their hopes though neither infallibly nor ultimately thereupon yet are there absolute promises or rather declarations of everlasting love through Iesus Christ to poor wretched creatures that can say nothing for but all against themselves Scilicet that they are ungodly and the chief of sinners 2 Tim. 2.25 And God by these without those is able both to beget and increase faith in the heart of a sinner and keep him by his mighty power alone through faith in that word unto salvation He through the Spirit waiting continually for the hope of righteousnesse by faith Gal. 5.5 For 5. Though saith receive much refreshment and encouragement from sence yet it receiveth life and nourishment only from the word Rom 10.17 2 Pet. 2.2 Abraham the Father of the faithful may part with Isaac the only sensible ground he had of the accomplishment of the promise and yet his faith not be thereby destroyed but proved to be a true working faith indeed And Christians may loose the light of all their works and yet not loose the life of faith nor ground of hope but come experimentally to know the true difference betwixt faith and works what it is to believe on him who justifieth the ungodly Rom. 4.5 and to be justified by faith without the works of the Law Rom. 3.28 O woman great is thy faith saith Christ to her that believed and yet saw and confessed her self to be a dog Mat. 13.27 28. And as that saith Mr. Burges is the best manifestation of love when it is carried out to an enemy So is that faith when relying upon God though feeling terrors and hell within us See Burgesse justificat Lect. 14. Sect. 8. pag. 117. Citing and approving of Luthers two-fold pardon the first of meer faith and obtaineth much of God the latter of experience and takes off from the excellency of faith RIghteousnesse or good works are profitable to me and other Christians 1. As subservient subsequent Testimonies of our adoption in Iesus Christ For there is assurance in a believing soule successively or conjunctly as pleaseth God to order either primary which is the result of a direct act of the holy Spirit or secundary which is the result of a reflexe act of an inlightened understanding The first cometh like faith not by seeing but by hearing and the active instrument if we may call it an instrument by which the holy Ghost gives conveyes or begets it is by his own voyce testimony or word And the Passive instrument through which as the Conduit it is conveyed into the heart or inwards of a Christian is believing the Gospel or word of reconciliation as it is evident from Rom. 8.16 Eph 1.13 1 Iohn 5.10 Heb. 10.22 The second is collected from sence or a visible discerning the effects and fruits of the Spirit of Christ in and flowing from a believing heart and is more properly called Scientia

3.36 If the word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every Trangression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord c Heb. 2.7 To which we may adde such like as Heb. 10.28 29. Heb 12.25 Acts 3.22 23. The third Scil. whether good works are to be preached to the called I affirm and say they are and that in a special manner For first these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works Tit. 3.8 Nam ii soli c. as Beza in loc. Secondly Christ having charged his Apostles {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} to discipulate all nations which was done as Mark explaines it by preaching the Gospel addes {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and so {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Scilicet teaching not all the nations but such as should be discipled or called by preaching of the Gospel out of the nations to observe c. Mat. 28.20 Thirdly the called are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus unto good works Eph. 2.10 They are redeemed from the hands of their enemies That they might serve him without fear in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of their lives Luke 1.74.75 God hath called us not to uncleannesse but unto holinesse 1. Thes. 4.7 Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called Eph. 4.1 Indeed i● any be so critical as to make the word preach of no larger extent than praedicare amongst the Latins when taken strictly and properly then is the Gospel or the triumph of Christ over the Law Sin Death and the Devil c. The proper object of preaching and Ministers more fitly said to teach then to preach good works to the called But if this Quere or part of the passage though indefinite be intended to run in equipage with the former and that to preach good works to the called shall amount to as much as to preach good works only to the called Then consider that good works may be taken first largely as including all good works whatsoever though the immediate products of the Gospel As repentance and faith or secondly strictly as including only such works as are mediate effect supposing the precedency of faith in which sense good works are commonly said to flow from or follow after faith If we take good works in the former sense It s true that good works Scilicet faith and repentance though not expressely all good works are to be preached to and required from those that are yet passively uncalled For 1. Christ himself having preached the Gospel of the Kingdom or proposed the object which instrumentally begets immediately injoynes the duties or calls for the Acts to be exercised thereabout Repent and believe the Gospel Scilicet which I have preached Mar. 1.15 Secondly In the name of Iesus held out as the Saviour of sinners repentance and remission of sins or as the Syriaok conversion into the remission of sins is to be preached unto all nations Luke 24.47 Thirdly Peter bids the Iewes repent and be converted Acts 3.19 And Paul exhorts the Jaylor to believe on the Lord Iesu Acts 16.31 Take good works in the better sense and though it be true that Sensu diviso the uncalled should do these subsequent works as love the Brethren 1 Pet. 1.22 Call upon the name of the Lord Rom. 10.14 c. as being now immediately called to obey the truth and believe the Gospel by which they may be enabled and privileged thereunto yet not Sensu composito or while uncalled For 1. People under command should hoc agere not only do the things commanded but in that order as they are commanded to do them when servants are bidden come they should not then say they 'l go and when they are bidden go they should not then come or do this though both due in their season but when the Master saith come they are to come when he saith go they are to go and when he saith do this then are they to do it Mat. 8 9. People therefore being immediately and firstly called to repent and believe the Gospel should Hoc agere not set about doing other works of God though right and due in their season But do this work of God now required to be done Scilicet Believe on him whom he hath sent Obey the call which is First to renounce our own righteousnesse next to embrace the righteousnesse of Christ which God freely offereth in the Gospel English Annotat. in Rom. 10.3 Secondly All works which are required and as required by Christ should be done in faith Heb. 11.6 For otherwise though they may be good Ethicé and both taught and done in Genere moralium yet are they not good Theologicé as we now speak nor to be taught or done in Genere spiritualium And if they must be done in faith then not before faith But first should men believe and then through believing do all other works Qui vult bene operari non ab operando sed à credendo incipiat Thirdly the Apostles do constantly direct their practical exhortations to such as are visibly called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} teaching them and onely them to observe all things c. according to Mat. 28.20 Fourthly Believers only are in a condition for acting in an Evangelical way and upon Evangelical grounds and that an Active obedience is not now to be pressed from or to the Law hath and shall be fuller cleared For as Mr Shepheard no friend to Antinomians in that very tract where he so learnedly opposeth them saith This caution is ever to be remembred that such acting be not to make our selves just but because we are already just in Christ not that hereby we might get life but because we have life given us already not to pacify Gods justice but to please his mercy being pacified towards us by Christ already And if so be that Believers are onely in a condition of thus acting and obedience active is not to be urged from the Law I see not but the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or Appendants to the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or Gospel should presuppose the preaching of that as Instrumental to bring persons into this condition and especially if not solely be preached to Believers The end or summe of the commandment is love and that out of a pure heart c. 1 Tim. 1.5 The sixth Passage But is it not good for a man to do all that he can viz. in way of obedience to Gods commandments Answ. The summe of all the commandments is that of the Sabbath Now to a Christian the Sabbath is to cease from his own works or working according to