Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	ability_n	according_a	act_n	15	3	5.1961	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96866	Justification by faith: or, a confutation of that antinomian error, that justification is before faith; being the sum & substance of a sermon / preached at Sarum; by Benjamin Woodbridge, minister of Newberry in Barkshire. May 26. 1652. Imprimatur, Edmund Calamy.	Woodbridge, Benjamin, 1622-1684.	1652 (1652)	Wing W3424; Thomason E673_18; ESTC R207183	23,288	41

the effects of Election In the mean time what a miserable circle is the poor restless doubting soul conjured into through the want of its Evidence and knows not where to finde it his Faith must first evidence his Justification by his Election and then it must evidence his Election by his Justification till in the issue this new Gospel leave him without all Evidence of Eternal Life 2. But the very truth is it is not Faith which doth evidence Syllogistically and it is most absurd to say we are justified by Faith because Faith doth evidence our Justification Syllogistically let the Argument be this If we are said to be justified by Faith because Faith doth evidence Justification Syllogistically then we may be said to be justified by sense and reason as well as by Faith which is absurd The reason is because sense reason concur with Faith in a Syllogistical evidence for clearing of which let us again set before us the former Syllogism He that believeth is justified But I believe Therefore I am justified The major onely is the assent or act of Faith The Assumption an act of sense or spiritual Experience The Conclusion an act of Reason That he that believes is justified this Faith doth evidence That I believe is evidenced to me by mine own Spiritual Experience That therefore I am justified is the evidence of reason inferring the Conclusion out of the premises wherefore Faith must be said to justifie in some other respect then that it doth evidence Justification or else we cannot be said to be justified by Faith at all A third Argument to prove that the Justification by Faith is not meerly a Justification in our Consciences is this That Interpretation of the Phrase which makes us at least concurrent causes with God in the formal act of our own Justification is not true The reason is because our Justification by Faith in regard of the formal act of pronouncing us just is in Scripture attributed wholly unto God It is God that justifieth Rom. 8. 33. that imputeth Righteousness Rom. 4. 6 8. We do no more justifie our selves then we glorifie our selves It is God alone doth both and we are passive in both Rom. 8. 30. But to interpret our justification by Faith meerly for a justification in our own Conscienes is to make us at least concurrent causes with God in the formal act of our own Justification This is so clear that it needs no proof For us to be justified in our own Consciences what is it but for our own Consciences to pronounce us just and what is this but for our selves to justifie our selves And so our Justification by Faith is not Gods act onely but our own also in part It is true that the Spirit of God doth justifie us in our own Consciences but not without the concurrent testimony and justification of our Consciences The Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beareth witness not to our Spirits but with our Spirits verily if our hearts condemn us we can have no evidence nor assurance before God 1 John 3. 19 20 21. You know what was here excepted viz. That if we were altogether passive in being justified then we are justified before we believe An Exception so childish That if all Error were not a piece of witchery I should wonder it should proceed out of that mouth To believe is indeed a formal vital act of the soul in genere physico but the use of it in Justification is to qualifie us passively that we may be morally and orderly capable of being justified by another even by God the great Judge of life and death Will any sober man impute to us that because we maintain Justification by Faith in this sense therefore we set up our selves as Judges together with God of our own souls or that we have therefore a joynt concurrence with him in making that gracious Law by and according to which we are justified or in pronouncing a sentence of Absolution upon our selves He would be thought more worthy to be derided then disputed with that should infer Because some Offenders against our Laws are not capable of Pardon unless they can read the Book therefore he that reads must needs be one of the State in making that Law or a Judge with his Judge in absolving himself according to that Law If a Magistrate grant a pardon to an Offender upon condition that he accept it his acceptance is indeed his own act yet in a Moral consideration 't is onely a passive condition making him capable of being pardoned according to the Magistrates will though a man have in himself more ability to read and accept of a Pardon then a sinner hath to believe and no man I trow will say that by his acceptance he is a concurrent cause in the formal act of his own Absolution In like maner we say we are not social causes with God either in making the law of Grace or in pronouncing our selves just according to that law and therefore Justification by Faith cannot be onely justification in Conscience yet Faith is required on our part which though Physically it be an act yet morally it is but a passive condition by which we are made capable of being justified according to the order and constitution of God It is God that glorifies us and not we our selves yet surely God doth not glorifie us before we believe I shall adde but one thing more which I wish may be seriously considered If justification by Faith must be understood of justification in our Consciences then is not the word Justification taken properly for a justification before God in all the Scriptures from the beginning to the end We read of no justification in Scripture but by Faith or Works when the Scriptures speak of justification by Works Mr. Eyre says it must be understood of a justification before men when it speaks of justification by Faith he says in like maner it must be understood of a justification before our own Consciences and neither of these the justification before God and verily neither of them of much worth in the Apostles judgement 1 Cor. 4. 3. And yet of any other justification before God which is neither of these two we do not read in all the Scripture The Antinomians may read their eyes out before they produce us one Text for it And what a most incredible thing is it that a word so often used should never be read in its most natural and true signification and that so glorious a Blessing as Justification before God should never be mentioned by its own name in all the Bible yea verily the whole comfort of this inestimable Blessing will be utterly taken from us for if the Scripture doth not say that any man is justified before God then no mans Faith can evidence to him that he is justified before God And if justification by Faith be not justification before God then is there no justification before God for any man living