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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51261	An addition to the Clavis aurea with an enquiry upon what terms the salvation of man doth depend; whether entirely on faith or entirely on works, or whether entirely on grace or free-gift. By Thomas Moor, author of the Clavis aurea, living in St. Thomas's in Southwark.; Clavis aurea. Addition.	Moor, Thomas, fl. 1695-1697.	1696 (1696)	Wing M2608AA; ESTC R216354	26,490	32

and not esteemed of in the sight of God but yet we cannot understand by this that our VVorks are to be so perfect that the Law must not be broken for then what would the Blood of Christ signify to us VVho is it that ever liv'd so holy but every Day breaks the Law tho against his Desire But more of this in another Place As to the Scripture which seems to plead for Perfection of good VVorks and Faith in this Life or no Salvation which is that Vbelievers Fearful and all Lyars shall have their Portion in the Lake Rom. 21. 8. points that such Perfection is given after this Life otherwise who shall be saved this will end the Confusion that is preach'd Thus I have given an uniting of the Scripture as to Faith and Works And for the better understanding this I proceed to the Definition of a justiing Faith But first let me tell you Perfection in good Works is taught to be in this Life and so the Error of the Galatians is on us who expected Justification by the Law for they say if we repent we shall be forgiven which I grant but that which is the Mistake and brings us under Bondage again is that they allow not Repentance sufficient without also a forsaking of the Sin repented of and Men not always finding it in their Power so to do fall into Despair So that we had need of a more comfortable Doctrine to encourage us in that which is good and to render us Satisfaction For I find from the Example of the Primitive Christians that sold their Estates and gave it to the Poor that Love draws more than Fear compels A Definition of a Justifying or Saving Faith A Justifying or Saving Faith consists in three parts 1. To believe that Christ suffered for Sin without doubting of it 2. To love him to that perfection of Love as not to fear but to be assured of our Salvation 3. To delight in good works tho we cannot be so perfect in them as to keep the whole Law of Moses or Moral Commands of Christ yet having this Faith Good Works would be as was in the Primitive Faith when they sold their Possessions and distributed to those that wanted far surpassing what is now practised So that believing without doubting assurance of Salvation and good Works make up one Faith for Justification And if one of these three parts be wanting the Faith is not Justifying and so by consequence nor Saving Whence all three parts put together make up such a Faith as we must have either in this World or the World to come or no Salvation Proofs of this Faith in every part of it 1. He that doubts whether Christ suffered or not doth not believe for he that doubteth is damned is he eats because he eateth not of Faith Rom. 14. 23. questioning the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the Meat he eats which shews that a doubting Faith is a damning Faith But in objection to this we say Christ healed the Man that said Lord I believe help my Vnbelief So he healed all that were diseased of their Bodies that came unto him whether Believers or Unbelievers yet without this Faith there 's no Salvation And as to his not quenching the smoaking Flax that 's in some for it 's certain that Israel in part are concluded in Unbelief born to die in Unbelief And indeed the Faith now in general is a doubting wavering seeking Faith and Books are now writ to prove the Scriptures the word of God there being so little credit given to them 2. The second part of this Faith is assurance of Salvation It is neither Circumcision nor Vncircumcision that availeth but Faith that works by love Gal. 5. 6. Hence 't is a Faith that works by love that is saving or available and this Faith which works by Love is not made perfect if Fear be not extinguished as 't is writ He that fears is not made perfect in love 1 John 4. 18. Now if 1 question whether God loves me so well as to save me I am in fear and where there is Fear there is Torment John 4. 18. So that it 's evident a Faith which works by Love is made perfect by a casting out of Fear which cannot be till there be an assurance of Salvation this being so clearly proved proves the first part of Faith to be true that doubting is not believing for who can be sure of his Salvation that doubts of Christ's Suffering 3. The third part of this Saving Faith is to delight in good Works tho we cannot be so perfect in them in this Life as to keep the whole Law of Moses and Moral Commands of Christ The Error that the foolish Galatians were under is the same as now 〈◊〉 which was that they sought Justification by being so 〈◊〉 good Works that they were able to keep the Law or 〈…〉 committing Sin as if we must first keep the Law 〈…〉 before we can have an Interest in Christ As 〈…〉 ●o absurd as to say they can live without 〈…〉 But Paul tells them he preached the Gospel to them 〈…〉 the Flesh and in the next Verse he calls this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Flesh which was Sin And in that 〈◊〉 so 〈…〉 they must have seen it because Paul 〈…〉 this his Temptation in the Flesh which the●efo●e must be a visible Sin or Temptation Gal. 4 13 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may go far and not be perfect 1 Cor. 13 'T is ●●●rity that is the tryal of a Christian's Faith and it never faileth The 〈◊〉 satisfaction of future Joys opens the Hearts of Men but Unbelievers hold it best to be sure of keeping what they have here for fear of not being recompenc'd hereafter But I would not have you mistake the Apostle when he saith Though I bestow all my 〈◊〉 to the Poor and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing ● Paul doth not say he that giveth his Goods to the Poor for Christ ● sake hath not Charity that cannot be but to give them in O●●●u●ation or Pride For Charity covereth a multitude of Sins 1 Pet. 4. 8 and true Charity sussereth long or is patient and is kind and e●vieth not ●●aunteth not it self is not puffed up and doth not unseemly beleave it self especially towards the Poor as if they were not his Fellow-Creatures Paul preach'd Sin unavoidable so that if he had found in himself that he could have avoided it altogether he could not have let his Experience and Doctrine so contradict each other for in Rom. 7. 21 he thus writes I find then a Law that when I would do good evil it present with me Again ver 18. to will is present with me but 〈◊〉 to perform that which is good I find not and much more in that Chapter to the same purpose And indeed the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit that we cannot do the things we would Gal. 5. 17. But i● objection to this we read Paul got the Victory 1 Cor. 15. ●7

9. as 't is there writ Go and tell this People hear ye indeed but understand not c. Shut their eyes lest they see c. And be converted and heal'd And this very Text by Paul in Acts 28. 25 26. is apply'd to the Jews that discours'd him at Rome and could not believe him Besides Paul testified that those which had not Knowledg had a Zeal to God Rom. 10. 2. What greater repeated Acts of Sin would such People commit that would endeavour from that Zeal to do any thing for the best Which blindness is to continue till the Fulness of the Gentiles be come in whereby Millions are born to dye in Unbelief So that this Unbelief was not upon Israel for any Sins they had committed but that the Gentiles might be grafted in In that it s said their Eyes have they closed it 's also said Pharoah hardned his Heart Exd. 9. 34. But can it be proved that Pharaoh could avoid at that time hardning his Heart and let Israel go see 30. 1. or that the Jews could open their Eyes and believe But this being a Knot that was not yet untied I will say thus far to it When God moves in Man to do Evil he moves it in him by a second cause as by the Devil and Lust and so he saith he doth not tempt any Man to Evil as the second Cause but every Man is drawn away by his own Lust But who created Lust in Man But throughout the Scripture as Mr. Everard notes in his Divine Exorcisms what the Devil doth God owns to do himself Did the Devil saith he harden Pharaoh's Heart God saith I have hardned Pharaoh's Heart and so he proceeds So that God as the first Cause hardned Pharaoh's Heart and he owns it and the Devil as the second Cause yet Pharaoh hardned his own Heart as 't is said because his reason was excercised with unavoidable false Reasonings mov'd in him by other Causes which was an Act of the Mind as the unavoidable Crucifixion of Christ was an Act of the Hand as thus Why should I let Israel go Who is the Lord Do not the Magicians do Miracles as well as Moses even so did Israel unavoidably close their Eyes and unavoidably crucify Christ which was an act of the Hand and yet for it are term'd Murderers Acts 7. 52. yet 't was determined they could not help it for doth not Christ say I lay down my own Life no Man taketh it from me I lay it down my self John 10. 17 18. By this its clear that the first Cause moves the second Cause and the second the third c. as mechanically the Spring moves the Wheels the Wheels the Pin And so Scripture Reason and Experience concur But how then Man can be said to be either Good or Evil and be the Subject of Punishment and Reward see my Addition Page 21. Bishop Stillingfleet hath writ no Treatise concerning Predestination which if he had I would have examin'd his Works but he is but a moral Writer as the rest are Morality is not Divinity or Predestination Mr. Vincent in his Conversion of the Soul P. 111. saith One Sin loved and liv'd in is enough to prove one unconverted and will be sufficient to destroy And Mr. Mead in his Early Obedience P. 282. saith from the 1 Cor. 6. and Rev. 21. that no Adulterers Thieves Coveteous Drunkards Fearful Vnbelievers Murderers Lyars And he beseeches us to consider if any of these Sins be chargeable upon us we are actually shut out from any Claim in Christ had either of these Moralists as for predostination they understand not in either of these Books said that God accepts the will for the deed I should not have taken their Words in such a despairing and strickt Sense they would do well to examin their own Charity by my definition of a Saving Faith whether they are not Unbelievers and Coveteous Proud and Passionate or at least guilty of some one Sin or another which if they be they condemn themselves as far as I perceive by their own Arguments or or at least there 's little Satisfaction in such obscure writing nor incouragment to do Good For where is difficulty in Work and hard to please whereby we are uncertain of any desert or wages I say there 's little incouragment to serve In all Divinity Books but what I have writ I find no Standard to try their Arguments by nor any true if any definition of Faith whereby there 's no Satisfaction in them But to those that esteem their Moralists which they call Divines Infallible let them consider that they disown Infallibility themselves and they were Princes great and learned Men that made great Figures in the World crucified Christ and persecuted the Apostles And to those that say the Scriptures are easy to be understood in matters of Salvation I deny it because there 's scarce a Command but is ordained to be broken See my Addition And pag. 20. as there are contrary Religions one to another yet every Religion brings Scripture to prove his own And to those who say I wrest the Scriptures I cannot do it but the Moralists wrests them taking only what is Commanded whereby they get Riches but do not meddle with much less unite the moral and predestinated part together But I refuse none but unite both parts But what Satisfaction is there in the Moral part of Scripture if according to some we say we must be as good as we can then we are apt to condemn our selves and say we might have done better or if according to Mr. Vincent and Mr. Mead who are now both Living we take the Scriptures in its strickt Literal Sense who can be Sav'd But they mistake for our Salvation depends on Works as they make up one part of Faith which Faith is a Freegift but this they could never reach See my definition of a Saving Faith in my Addition before And let Men take notice there hath been a famine of the word prophefied of before by Amos 8. 11. for want of a Spiritual Man to expound the Scriptures And I think Men have the greater Reason to esteem my Books in that they prove Unanswerable I have done with these Authors and from what hath been said you may if you are not blinded see the insufficiency of all Men upon Earth to dispute me Which I boast not of as attain'd from any endeavour of mine but as a gift of God And I am not insensible of the Conceitedness of many in Oral Disputes but dare they write I may say to such as Paul said to the Jews ye despisers wonder I work a work in your Days which you shall in no wise believe Acts 13. 41. And are you so conceited that the Jews did not think themselves at that time as wise as now you think your selves I am Satisfyed the Scripture is a Book Sea●'d up from all but those divinely inspired or Spiritual Men and at this time many of you as