Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	act_n	faith_n	justification_n	3,419	5	9.8335	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B02482	Christ alone exalted in the perfection and encouragements of the saints, notwithstanding sins and trials. Volume III. / Being laid open in severall sermons by the late spirituall and faithfull preacher of the Gospel, Tobias Crispe, D.D.	Crisp, Tobias, 1600-1643.; Cokayn, George, 1619-1691.; Pinnell, Henry.	1648 (1648)	Wing C6959; ESTC R233167	185,508	400

is Jesus Christ the righteous we have therefore proposed to be considered First how cleer the Scripture is in this truth that it is his righteousnesse that carries the cause of a poor Believer when he hath sinned and gets the discharge for his sin after it is committed I say the plea lies in his righteousness I cannot insist upon the Scriptures mentioned they are very plentifull We came further to consider what this righteousnesse of his is that hath such a strength of plea in it the resolution of this I distributed into two heads First Negative Secondly Affirmative First the righteousnesse which carries away the cause and obtains the discharge of a Believers sin is no righteousnesse of our own no not so much as the righteousnesse of faith as it is our act of believing Here we left the last day I will give you a touch of the impossibility that faith should so plead for the discharge from sin in its own name or strength as to carry away the cause on the side of this person sinning It is true the Apostle speaks of the righteousnesse of faith in the 10. to the Romans about the 4. verse A righteousnesse of faith there is indeed but that righteousnesse which is here given and ascribed unto faith is afterwards appropriated to the Word that is unto the Gospel that is the righteousnesse of faith speaks on this wise say not in thine heart who shall ascend up into Heaven that is to bring Christ from thence or who shall descend into the deep But what saith it The Word is nigh thee in thy heart in thy mouth That is in the word in the heart and in the mouth that is the word of Faith and so not the righteousnesse of a mans own act of believing I cannot dwell upon what I have delivered before There are some things briefly to be considered even about our believing as it hath a stroke in the discharge from sin or in the pardon of sin The truth is beloved some hand faith hath in this businesse but it is not any righteousnesse in the act of believing that carries any stroke in it If you will consider it well you shall easily see there is no more righteousnesse in our believing as we do act believing then there is in any other gracious act whatsoever we do there is no more righteousnesse in the act of our beleving then is in our love of God nay more there is as much sinfulnesse in our act of believing as in our acting of other gifts There is no man under Heaven hath attained unto that height of believing or that strength of faith but there is still something wanting some imperfection and sinfulnesse in it And as there is weaknesse and imperfection in believing so it is not possible that this believing should give forth such a righteousnesse as to constitute a person who is unrighteous in himself to be righteous before God That which cannot set it self compleat and righteous before God can never set another righteous before God Faith must be first just it self or else it is not possible it should be imagined it can ever by the righteousnesse of its own act justifie another Beloved what ever the Scriptures speak concerning faith justifying it must of necessity be understood objectively or declaratively one of these two wayes Either faith is said to be our righteousnesse in respect of Christ onely who is believed on and so it is not the righteousnesse of his own act of believing but the righteousnesse of him that is apprehended by that act of believing Or else you must understand it declaratively that is whereas all our righteousnesse and all our discharge from sin flowing only from the righteousness of Christ alone is an hidden thing that which in it self is hid to men doth become evident by believing And as faith doth make the righteousnesse of Christ evident to the Believer so it is said to justifie by its own act declaratively and no otherwise And whereas in the 5. Chapter to the Romans and the 1. verse the Apostle there saith being justified by faith we have peace with God In Rom. 8. vers 33. the Apostle saith It is God that justifieth Now I beseech you compare these Texts together then tell mee whether the act of believing except it hath reference to the object which is Christ of it self doth justifie whether or no these two places cāpossibly be reconciled without contradiction It is God that justifieth and it is Faith that justifieth Faith is not God neither is God Faith If therefore it be faith in justification in respect of its own act that justifieth it is not God that justifieth us and if it be God that justifieth then it is not Faith in respect of its own act How will you reconcile it When therefore the holy Ghost speaks of faith justifying it speaks of faith as laying hold upon God for our justification and therefore though faith doth here appeare as that which doth lay hold upon the righteousnesse of God yet faith here cannot be said to be that righteousnesse that doth justifie us Ob. But I know some will be ready to say it is not to be understood as if saith had any innate power of its owne to procure the discharge or pardon from sin but saith is to bee understood as the Instrumentall cause that laies hold upon that justification and so it goes before the justification of a person and it is to be understood no otherwise Answ I shall desire to keep in the plain path for the cleering up of this truth and so far as possible may be I abhor to walk in the clouds in a truth that so highly concerns the comfort and establishing the consciences and spirits of men and therefore I say that faith as it layes hold upon the righteousness of Christ it doth not bring this righteousnesse of Christ to the soul but only doth declare the presence of this righteousnesse in the 〈◊〉 that was there even before faith was I beseech you mark me wel I know beloved I have many very catching ears about me I speak it the rather that there may be the more warines because there are frequent mis-understandings mis●●●ings of the things I deliver especially by those that come to catch I say again there is no p●●son under Heaven reconciled unto God justified by God through ●he righteousnesse of Christ but this person is justified and reconciled unto God before hee doth believe And therefore faith is not the instrument radically to unite Christ and the soul together but rather is the fruit that follows flows from Christ the root being united before hand to the persons that doe believe so that the efficacy and power of believing is to be instrumentall for the declaration of an act that was done before only it was hid For the cleering up of this to you beloved consider that expression in the 12. Chapter to the Hebrews vers 1. Faith saith the Apostle

act of justice and righteousnesse that the Father should justifie and acquit these persons for whom he hath received of Christ this satisfaction and accordingly hath acknowledged satisfaction under his own hand and acquitted them You know though it bee in a mans power and liberty whether hee will take a surety or the principall for his money yet when he hath taken a surety and he hath made payment it is an act of unrighteousnesse in the creditor after the acknowledgement of full satisfaction to come upon the principall again and to make him pay the money And it is a plea grounded in Law that if that cause come in triall again the Judge ought to acquit the principall if it bee proved that the debt is paid by the surety Now Christ hath paid all that the Father could ask and God hath acknowledged full satisfaction for all He beheld the travell of his soule and was satisfied Now being satisfied it is an act of justice and righteousnesse that the Father should acquit a person in this kind Suppose a person should bee brought before a Judge in a cause wherein hee oweth the Judge himself such a summe of moneyes and borrowed it of the Judge himself an Advocate comes and pleads the cause before the Judge that it is true there was so much money lent and borrowed but saith the Advocate I my selfe became the surety for that man I paid every farthing there is the acquittance you gave under your own hand Now I ask this question the Judge being convinced and a righteous Judge too of the truth of the plea whether in judgement he ought not to acquit that person whose cause is pleaded before him He tooke saits faction he acknowledged satisfaction he could have but satisfaction of him therefore in justice he must discharge him The same case is betweene God and us it is true indeed Beleevers doe commit those things that are in their own nature debts Forgive us our debts as the word is but when this cause came to be agitated and pleaded before God the Judge himselfe to whom the debt was owing Christ the Advocate came and stood up and pleaded that he himselfe being become the surety of a better testament upon it he came and paid the whole debt and hee having satisfied his Father hee received under his Fathers hand that he had paid every farthing and that he was satisfied and that upon that satisfaction his people should be discharged Now this plea is grounded upon iustice it selfe Observe but how fully and clearly the Apostle speakes the same things in the 1. of John 1.7 the Apostle tels us expresly that the blood of Christ his Son cleanseth from all sins and here If any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and hee is the propitiation for our sins and againe in the former Chapter If we confesse our sinnes God is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins Mark well that the Apostle grounds himself upon Christs satisfaction namely his blood that doth cleanse us from all sin Upon this ground hee doth conclude that it is an act of faithfulnesse and justice in God to forgive sinne I dare say none are so ignorant in these daies of light as to thinke there is such a proportion between confession of sin and forgivenesse of sinne that confession can ballance forgivenesse and so consequently make it an act of justice No the Apostle doth ground the force of justice upon the blood of Christ that is shed Therfore if you do observe it well you shall find that the Apostle speakes of confession by way of anticipation or prevention of fear you know the common Proverb in the world concerning a Malefactor apprehended is Let him confesse say wee and he shall be hanged Why so because if it be disclosed the Law lays hold upon him and hee shall be sure to die for it and therefore in naturall policy his safety lies in concealing of it But now if satisfaction hath beene made by a friend of his to the Law and accordingly a pardon sued out for him there is no danger in his confession at all Now the Apostle in this place having before said that the blood of Christ his Sonne cleanseth us from all our sinnes from hence he gathers incouragement unto the people of Christ that they should not fear so as to conceal their sins lest being known they should do them a mischief But saith he lay all open before the Lord there is nodanger to be supected now For God is faithfull and just to forgive them therefore the hiding of them should prevent no evill because no evill should come upon them for them though they were laid open never so naked Therefore was this spoken by the Apostle to take away fear and this is the ●rue meaning of the Holy Ghost therein I say to take away fear from the damage that would ensue if we should confesse our sins what they are Paul writing to Timothy mark what he ascribes to participating of the excellencies of Christ even of righteousnesse and justice I have fought the good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse Marke a crown of righteousnesse is laid up in which is included the discharge from sin and participating of glory and a crown of righteousnesse prepared and laid up But mark the foundation of his confidence that he shall partake of it It is a righteous Judge that shall give it he shall give it out of righteousnesse it self justice shall prevail with him to do this thing for him Whence it is that Christ is called so frequently Righteousnesse The Lord our righteousnesse as you have it in the 33. of Jeremiah a Prophesie concerning the righteous Branch and his name shall be called The Lord our righteousnesse that is the Lord that is righteous makes us one with God and doth communicate his own righteousnesse unto us that we may be the delight of the Father Give me leave to tell you beloved that God is so unchangeable in all his Attributes that even Christ himself is not able to obtain any thing of the Father that may be any wayes prejudiciall to the nullifying of any attribute whatsoever I say Christ himself can get nothing of the Father whereby his justice may suffer or be violated Christ must make it clear that justice shall have its full due and God shall not need to bate one grain of what justice doth expect or else Christ himselfe can have nothing of the Father For Christ came not to destroy the Law and so he saith himself much lesse did Christ come to destroy that which is essentiall unto God Gods justice is essentiall unto him If Christ violate justice he should destroy the very being of God himselfe Therefore without giving justice satisfaction this would be a derogation to the Father therfore when Christ doth plead with the Father for the

difference And in the 51. Psalme and the 14. verse you shall see beloved David hath such a confidence in the righteousnesse of Christ and doth so make it his refuge as that in the greatest of sins as he was ever overtaken with he betakes himself unto that Deliver me O Lord from blood-guiltinesse and there you shall finde he doth expresse himself thus namely The God of my righteousnesse these you shall plainly see deliverance from blood-guiltinesse is ascribad 〈◊〉 the righteousnesse of God and he wai●s for his deliverance even out of the power which that rightcousness hath with God For that purp of in the 71. Psilme and the ● vers and in the 19. verse or there abouts First you 〈…〉 here makes the 〈◊〉 hereus●●● 〈…〉 ●●emity Deliver me O Lord in thy righteousnesse and afterwards you shall 〈…〉 this righteousnesse 〈…〉 not leave it My mouth shall shew forth thy right 〈◊〉 And I will make mention of thy righteousnesse and thine only s●●th th● Tex● there v. 16. Mark the expression well set David be in what condition be will he veilmake no other pl●a in the world but this I will make mention of thy righteousnesse and thine only Whether you will understand it of Gods righteousnesse s●●ply as Judge or of Christs righteousnesse as he is the Advocate they come all to one reckoning For i● God d●●●eliver in a righteoussentance or according to righteousnesse deliverance doth proceed from righteousnesse plended So that I say if you understand of the Lord then you must conceive the righteousnesse of Christ is the ground why God pronounceth a sentence of righteousnesse And in the 143 Psalme and the 11. verse you shall set David doth there againe ascribe his deliverance unto righteousness still Quicken thou mee O Lord for thy names sake and for thy righteousnesse sake saith he bring my soule out of trouble The Prophet Isaiah coures behind none in Evangelicall sweet 〈…〉 comfort of Gods people he is marvelous full concerning this thing namely the 〈…〉 of the people of God by the righteousnesse of Christ Look into Isaiah Chap. 1. verse 27. Sion saith the Lord there shall be redeemed with judgement c. and the converts with righteousnesse Here you see beloved that the Church of God shal be brought to judgemens Judgement you know is a sentence passed by a Judge and there shall be redemption unto Sion even by judgement and this sentence of a Judge must be pronounced for the deliverance of the client This is our comfort we shall be saved by righteousnesse saith the Text. In Isaiah 41. you shall fee how the Lord sets out Christ in this very term Who hath raised up the righteous man saith the Text in vers 2. and hath set him as his feet I the first and the last saith the Lord in ver 4. Christ I say is held forth unto men as the righteous man raised up for the good of the sons of men In the 51. of Isaiah the Holy Ghost tells us about the 5. 6. verses that God will make judgement to rest as a light upon the people that is when the Lord brings his people unto judgement it shal be a lightsome day unto them and though a lightsome day yet who can stand before his Judgement Mark the ground of the lightsomness of the day when they shall come unto their trial My righteousness is neer saith the Lord my judgement is gone forth my salvation is gone forth therefore it should be a lightsome day because there shall be righteousness in that day to plead out that judgement that shall be given on the behalf of the clients of Christ In Isaiah 53. vers 11. He shall see of the travel of his soul and he shall be satisfied that is God shall see the travell of the soul of Christ and God shall be satisfied But how comes it to passe that God is pacified by beholding the righteousnesse the travel of the soul of Christ By his knowledge saith the next words shal my righteous servant justifie many There is a great deal of difference to understand the meaning of the phrase righteous servant By his knowledge shall my righteous servant just ifie many For my own part I think the plain sense doth carry much light in it as much as to say Christ knows so much concerning the prevalency of his own righteousnesse that he pleads so with the Father by it that he shall be sure to carry the cause in the behalf of his client when he pleads it he knows so much I say of the prevalency of his righteousnesse that he is sure he shall carry the cause for their justification when they come to their triall In the 59. of Isaiah and 16. verse you have an excellent expression there the Lord saith the Text wondered that there were none that he could finde never an Intercessor therefore as it follows my arm hath brought salvation But how doth his arm bring salvation my righteousnesse so it follows it sustained me Observe it well there is none in the world to deal with God on the behalf of men but the Son of God Christ himself there could not one come in to help him There is a mighty charge laid against poor Believers containing such a bulk of transgressions with so many aggravations that Christ himself had sunk under them being alone had not his righteousnesse sustained him this was that which held him up in the whole plea till the sentence was given on the behalf of his clients for be put on righteousnesse as a brest-plate In the 51. of Ieremiah and the 5. 6. verses of that Chapter Behold the dayes come or In those dayes I will raise up a righteous branch unto David In those dayes Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and the name wherewith he shall be called is The Lord our righteousnesse Here is a righteous branch raised up this follows next th●● shall be sav●d How to In that there is a righteous branch 〈…〉 for it Israel shall 〈…〉 shall be saved in the word and from 〈…〉 but in that 〈…〉 up Judab that be 〈…〉 himself that 〈…〉 Judah when the 〈…〉 God himself 〈…〉 not only 〈…〉 Jerusalem 〈…〉 shal not cast our 〈…〉 is raised no which shal in 〈…〉 Judah to dwel safely And the reation of all this is not abley rendered nam●●y in that this righteousness is become our 〈◊〉 and he is so become our righteousnes that his very name is The Lord our righteousnes It is very well worth your observation how still the last refuge is fastened upon this eighteousnesse of Christ In the 9. of Daniel and the 24. verse Yet seventy weeks are determined unto thy holy City to what purpose to sinish transgression to put an end to sin to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in everlasting righteousnesse Mark it well this sealing up or the Vision that is the establishment or the forgivenesse of sins and the finishing of transgression I