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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	believe_v	faith_n	good_a	2,306	5	4.2701	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34979	Christ alone exalted in Dr. Crisp's sermons partly confirmed in answering Mr. Daniel Williams's preface to his Gospel truth stated, by alledging testimonies from Scripture and the doctrine of the Church of England, in the Book of homilies establish'd by law and other orthodox authorities : shewing how he hath wronged as well the truth as the said doctor in the great point of justification by the Neonomian doctrine / humbly offer'd by S.C., an unworthy son of the said doctor, author of a book entituled, Christ made sin, reflected on by Mr. Williams.	Crisp, Samuel, 17th cent.	1693 (1693)	Wing C6916; ESTC R8981	77,379	52

conformity to the Gospel Promise even as perfect obedience had in conformity to the Precept or Covenant of works I shall shew farther by the opinion of sound Orthodox Writers and begin with that famous Martyr in Scotland burned Anno 1532. for adhering to salvation by Jesus Christ without works in his Treatise set forth by Mr. John Frith an English Martyr in the same Cause Burned in 1533. he hath these Expressions viz. No manner of works make us right wise and no works make us unright wise if any evil works make us unrighteous then the contrary works should make us righteous the proof is we believe that a man shall be justifyed without works Rom. 3. and we believe in Jesus Christ that we may be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the deeds of the Law good works make not a good man nor evil works an evil Man but a good man bringeth forth good works and an evil man evil works good Fruit makes not the Tree good nor evil Fruit the Tree evil but a good Tree beareth good Fruit and an evil Tree evil fruit If works make us neither righteous nor unrighteous then thou wilt say it maketh no matter what we do I answer if thou do evil it is a sure Argument thou art evil and wantest Faith if thou do good it is a sure Argument thou art good and hast Faith Here is no sophistication of Faith Holiness Obedience c. answering the Rule of the Gospel promise as perfect Obedience answered the Law and moreover he gives the reason why we are so saved by Christ Because saith he Thou madest the fault and he suffered the pain and that for the love he had for thee before thou wast born now sith he was punished for thee thou shalt not be punished Finally he hath delivered thee from Condemnation all evil and desireth nought of thee mark that but that thou wilt acknowledge what he hath done for thee and bear it in mind and help others for his sake as he hath helped thee for nought Thou wilt say Shall we then do no good deeds I say not so but I say we should do no good works for the intent to get the Inheritance of Heaven or the remission of sin Thus this blessed Martyr asserted the Gospel in these truths worth laying down ones life for but I hope none will be put to lay down their life for asserting our imperfect Obedience answers the Gospel as Adams perfect Obedience If he had had it would have answered the Law for any to die upon such a point would be to be a Martyr for his own Righteousness not for asserting Christs now comes Mr. Frith and gives his Observations as full of Antinomianism as his Author Mr. Hamilton or as Dr. Crisp and just such an Antinomian as the A. Paul was and saith Therefore wheresoever any question or doubt ariseth of Salvation or our justifying before God there the Law and All good Works must be utterly excluded and stand apart that grace may appear free the Promise simple and that Faith may stand alone which faith alone without Law or Works worketh to every Man particularly his Salvation through meer promise and the free grace of God this word particularly I add for the particular certifying of every Mans heart privately and particularly that believeth in Christ so Faith is the instrumental Cause by which every Man applyeth the Body of Christ particularly to his own Salvation so that in the action and office of Justification both Law and Works all good Works above be here utterly secluded and exempted as things having nothing to do in this behalf The reason is this for seeing that all our Redemption universally springeth only from the body of the Son of God Crucified then is there nothing that can stand us in stead but that only wherewith this body of Christ is apprehended now for so much as neither the Law nor Works but Faith only is the thing that apprehendeth the Body and death of Christ therefore Faith only is that matter which Justifieth every Soul before God through the strength of that Object which it doth apprehend for the Object only of our Faith is the body of Christ like as the brazen Serpent was the other only of the Israelites looking by the strength of which Object through the promise of God immediately proceeded health to the Beholders so the Body of Christ being the Object of our Faith striketh righteousness to our Souls Thus far Mr. Frith Here 's good sound strong home-spun Divinity that came from the heart of an early English Martyr in the days of Hen. VIII It came not from Rome or Amsterdam or Poland and because the Book of our blessed Martyrs is in few hands I 'll transcribe some more of Mr. Frith's contrariety to our new way of stating Gospel Truth hoping it may tend to the establishing Souls whom the Sophistry of some Men may amuse with their Connexions of c. to Faith and Holiness in the business of pardon of sin to which Mr. Frith saith as follows In a Christian mans life there 's the Law there 's Repentance there is Hope Charity all which in mans Life and Doctrine are joyned and yet in the action of justifying there is nothing else in man that hath any Part or Place but only Faith apprehending the Object which is the body of Christ Jesus for us Crucified in whom consisteth all the worthiness of our Salvation by Faith that is by our apprehending and receiving of him according as it is written John 1. Whosoever received him he gave them Power to be made the Sons of God even all such as believed in his Name For so much therefore as the Truth of the Scripture in express words hath included our Salvation in Faith only we are enforced necessarily to Exclude all other causes and Means in our Justification and to make this difference between the Law and Gospel between Faith and Works affirming with the Scripture and Word of God that the Law condemneth us our Works of all sorts do not avail us and that Faith in Christ doth only justifie us and this ought diligently to be learned of all Christians especially in all conflicts of Conscience between the Law and the Gospel Faith and Works Grace and Merits Promise and Condition Gods Free Election and Mans free Will so that the light of the Free grace of God in our Salvation may appear to all Consciences to the Immortal glory of Gods holy Name Amen Thus said this blessed Servant of the Lord Jesus and this he sealed with his Blood and this was good Doctrine in those days among the Reformed this was thought worthy to be inserted in our famous Book of Martyrs and approved by the whole Body of Christians in the Nation and not scandalized as the same expressions are in Dr. Crisp's Sermons I would fain know what more stabbing words can be said against Mr. Williams Thesis or Position than both Mr. Hamilton and

Mr. Frith have insisted on No manner of Works make us right wise and no works make us unright-wise and all good Works must be utterly excluded and stand apart that grace may appear free Now are not Repentance Holiness new Obedience perseverance and Mr. Williams his c. Good works yet they must stand apart and be far from such a Conformity to the Rule of the Promise in our salvation as Perfect Obedience was to the Rule of the Precept O that God would teach Men to lower their high towering Opinions of our Holiness concurring to our Salvation and cry Grace grace to all from the Foundation to th● Top-stone still not of works though this galls proud Flesh lest any boast For a farther satisfaction in this great point let us see what our great Men presently after the down-fall of Popery in this Nation have said as to our works in the matter of Salvation The Homilists say in fol. 27. All good Works spring from Faith and cannot be done without Faith then I argue if they spring from Faith and that we are justifyed by Faith then good works have no hand in our Justification because that is over in order of nature before a good work sprung up then what have we to do with Mr. Williams Gospel Obedience conforming to the Promise in order to pardon The Homilists say farther from those words without me you can do nothing That what work is done without Faith is sin and without Faith all done of us is dead and Austin saith fol. 31. Whether thou will or no that work that comes not of Faith is naught There is one work in which is all good Works that 's Faith This is the Work of God to believe in him so that Christ called Faith the work of God and as soon as a man hath Faith anon he shall flourish in good Works Thus Holy Austin was for Faith alone without the Trumpery of our Obedience with c. in order to pardon Mr. W. fixeth Repentance and Faith with Holiness c. to be the Terms of Pardon How far this c goes it may be Mr. Williams may tell us in the next Edition or by the Athenian Mercury but for the consolation of humble Enquirers into the truth I 'll tell them what our Homilists say of this great grace of Repentance which Mr. W. puts before Faith and which he makes one of the terms of Pardon with his c. in fol. 258. these Homilists say We must return to the Lord yea to him alone and never rest till we have taken bold upon him but this must be done by Faith and he himself in his Gospel doth cry out I am the way the Truth and the Life therefore they are greatly deceived who preach Repentance without Christ so that with the Homilists 't is first Christs ours by Faith then Repentance they that think they have done much of themselves towards Repentance are so much more the farther from God This is not like our new Gospel Truth stated that a man without saving Faith in Jesus may repent of his sins yet say the Homilists but 't is such a Repentance as Judas's such as puts him farther from God and in fol. 263. they confirm their Doctrine of no sound Repentance without Faith in Jesus the way to it and say We must beware we in no wise imagin we can repent aright hy our own strength for this must be verifyed in all Men without me you can do nothing Mr. W. will say he owns that Christ enables us to repent 't is true but doth he own a Man is in Christ believes in Christ before he repent if he do not own that then he comes not up to the Text where Christ speaking of all his to the Branches in him he saith upon that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without me or out of me you can do nothing you cannot repent or do new Obedience if not a branch in me by Faith Again in fol. 268 they say They that preach Repentance without a lively Faith in our Saviour Jesus Christ do teach Judas his Repentance It is evident tho' we be never so earnestly Sorry for our sins acknowledge and confess them all these are but means to bring us to utter despair except we do stedfastly believe that God our heavenly Father will for his Son Jesus Christ's sake pardon and forgive us our Offences To them I add the Testimony of as great a Scholar and as sound a Protestant as Mr. Williams who above 100 years ago gave a better account of Faith and Holiness than Mr. W. doth and that is Mr. Perkins no Antinomian who saith in fol. 236. The law promises life to him that performs Obedience perfect The Gospel promises Salvation to him that doth nothing in the cause of his Salvation but only Believes in Christ yet not for this Faith or for any work else but for the merit of Christ this is a big word what do nothing in the cause of Salvation but believe no nothing saith Mr. Perkins and before Mr. Williams can confute him he must prove Christs Righteousness ours by Faith is meant of our Gospel Holiness that is God saith 't is Christ's Righteousness but he means quite otherwise viz. 't is our Gospel Holiness Mr. Perkins is in good earnest that we are to do nothing for Salvation but believe and answer several Objections as follow Objection 4th saith Mr. Perkins To believe is a work therefore one work is commanded in the Gospel and is necessary to Salvation Answer The Gospel considers not Faith as a Vertue or Work but as a Hand to apprehend Christ for Faith doth not Cause or effect or procure our Justification and Salvation but as the Beggars Hand receives them being wholly wrought and given of God and in fol. 247 he saith we must first be Justified before we can do a good work and in fol. 287. Paul teaches that works set up as Causes of Salvation with Christ make void the grace of God And is not this making them causes of Salvation with Christ to say Christ purchased this Grace that our Sincere Obedience Faith Holiness Perseverance should be accepted to answer the rule of the Gospel Promise for pardon Well doth Mr. Perkins proceed to reject our Righteousness in the matter of Salvation and Saith in fol. 955 of vol. 1st A mans Conscience must in some sort be settled touching his reconciliation with God before he can begin to Repent wherefore Justification and Sanctification in order of Nature go before Repentance but if we respect time then Grace and Repentance are together This is intelligible Doctrine and strenuous for the advancement of Christ alone and the same in effect as Mr. Perkins had asserted contrary to Mr. Williams in fol. 84. Saying From Sanctification Repentance is derived because no man can earnestly repent except he denying himself do hate sin and embrace Righteousness this no man can perform but such an one as is in the sight of God

with gospel Rule gives right to gospel Blessing The Papists go on and say the only formal Cause of Justification is the Righteousness of God not wherewith be himself is righteou● but whereby he makes us righteous I know Mr. Williams in words denies our Sanctification to be a part of our Justification but in the whole scope of his Argument he makes our gospel Holiness to be lookt upon by God as having a concurrence in our Justification and this is his gospel Ordination and in full conformity to the Popish Justification by God's Righteousness whereby we are renewed His last clause of the Popish Article about Justification suits extremely with Mr. Williams's fling at Doctor Crisp as dethroning Christ for making Christ the alone cause of our Salvation without any thing of our works concurring And thus saith the Council of Trent If any one shall say that a Man is justified by the s●le imputation of the Righteousness of Christ or in the sole remission of sin excluding grace and charity which is shed abroad in their hearts by the holy Spirit and is inherent in him or that the grace whereby we are justified is only the savour of God let him be accursed This I take to be asserted by the Papists in opposition to the Protestant Doctrine so that the Protestant Doctrine was what they accurst and what Mr. Williams in effect accurseth saying the holding it is dethroning Christ VVell then the Papists curse those that say a man is justified by the sole imputation of Christ's Righteousness without any grace or charity VVhat 's become then of Mr. Williams's gospel Holiness sincere Obedience that God looks at in the gospel Rule to obtain the gospel Promise again they curse those that say our Justification is by the alone savour of God or freely by his grace Rom. 3.25 VVhat doth Mr. Williams less in falling foul on Doctor Crisp and all that wholly exclude every thing of man in the business of Justification and say they enerv●te Christ's government and open a door to all Licentiousness Whereas the contrary is most true that the grace of God appearing teaches to deny all ungodliness My next Opposer of Mr. W's Gospel Ordination is a great maul to Arminianism that is the Learned Pious Mr. Perkins who saith in fol. 576 of Vol. 1. Thus the Papists say Christ merited that our good Works merit And answers This is a dotage of their devising for Christ merited pardon for sin impuation of his Righteousness and Life eternal And fol. 104. To say Christ merited that our works merit this takes away Christ's Intercession I may add to say our Holiness comes in toward our Justification doth the same Mr. Perkins comes closer in Vol. 2 fol. 205. It may be objected saith he there is a co-operation of works and faith I answer That this co-operation is not in the Act of Justification nor in the Work of our Salvation but in the manifestation of the truth and sincerity of our Faith and for the declaration of this Faith and Works jointly concur Here then is a pestilent and damnable Doctrine of the Papists when they teach Justification by the Wo●ks of the Law And what is it to teach Justification by the Works of the Gospel which never had a Promise of Justification to it whereas the Works of the Law once had before Adam's Fall In Fol. 236. He turns perfect Antimonian with our Homilists if some men may censure him and saith thus The Gospel promises Life to him that doth nothing in the cause of his Salvation but only Believes in Christ This is dangerous Doctrine in Doctor Crisp because it spoils Mr. W's Gospel Ordination of Works and Faith going together in Justification but hath for this 100 years been good sound Doctrine in Perkins and the Homilies too He proceeds in fol. 237. and saith thus Believing and doing are opposed in the Article of our Justification In our good Conversation they agree Faith goes before and doing follows but in the Work of Justification they are as Fire and Water This is a fatal stroke to the new Gospel Ordination and a full concurrence with Dr. Crisp though Mr. Williams call this a dethroning Christ Mr. Perkins could not expect to be taken for an Oracle so that by his ipse Dixit that every one should receive his Positions tho' he grounded them on plain Scripture therefore he strengthens his Assertion by the sayings of the Fathers with which I farther oppose Mr. W's Gospel Ordination and confirm Dr. C. in fol. 537. Mr. Perkins saith The Fathers do hold Faith only to be requisite to Justification even without the Works of Grace Chrysostom saith in Hom. 7. in Cap. 3. Rom. What is the Law of Faith saith he To be saved by Grace here he sheweth the Power of God in that he not only saved us and that without use of any works exacting only Faith of us And Theodoret on Eph. 2. We have not believed of our own accord but came being called and when we are come he doth not exact Purity and Innocency of Life but hath Pardoned our sins accepting of Faith only And Basil Ser. de hum This it is to glory in the Lord when a man is not puffed up with his own righteousness but acknowledgeth himself destitute of all true righteousness and Justified by Faith alone in Jesus Christ They are justifyed before God saith Ambrose on Rom. 4. Without any labour or Toyl by only Faith no Works of Penitence being hereto required but only that they believe This Cloud of Witnesses is enough to cover and wholly extinguish the Gospel Ordination of Mr. Williams without any Comment on them Mr. Williams next Assertion is a Chip of the same block thus His Christs Righteousness imputed is the cause for which we are Justified when we do answer the Gospel Rule Here 's no mincing the matter of bringing in our Sanctification into our Justification for Mr. Williams tells us plainly what our answering the Gospel Rule is viz. Some degrees of Obedience Repentance Love imperfect Faith Persevering c. Thus while in words he pretends to separate Sanctification from Justification yet here he really joyns them and confounds them making our justification to be by Christs Righteousness imputed when we are holy when we be sanctifyed inferring that it is not till then and not only so but that that is the Condition of our justification Is this the Apostles justifying the Ungodly to be justified when we answer Mr. Williams Gospel Rule Whereas the Gospel makes no such Rule as he lays down of our sincere Obedience concurring to justification or God's having regard to our Gospel Holiness which is Mr. Williams own word I will not stand to refell this but do aver nothing can be clearer to me than this that by this expression we are justified when we answer that Gospel Rule which Mr. Williams laid down there is a downright mingling our Sanctification with our justification which the Apostle strenuously

benefits of his Righteousness Where is the Drs. enervating Christs Laws if this was his judgment Doth not this Correspond with that of the Apostle Eph. 1. He raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus do●h not this evince that all the Elect were raised up with Christ and do now sit with him in Heaven being in his Heart as the twelve Tribes were upon Arons Breast-Plate when he went into the Holy of Holies Are they not in the Heart of Christ and doth he not pray for those that God gave to him if so then all saving Blessings belong to them only the Doctor had not the happiness to word it to please Mr. W. therefore is quarrell'd at But next he sweetens all and having broken the Doctors Head gives him a Plaister thus I have carefully avoided any Reflection on Revere●d Dr. Crisp whom I believe a Holy Man For which respect I return many thanks and bless God for fulfilling his word that when a mans ways please the Lord he makes his Enemies at peace with him But may I not wonder that those that have uttered so great Invectives that he was for dethroning Christ should yet be convinc'd from the strain of his writings that he was a Holy Man This is agreeable to what treatment he met with in the Heat of Peoples flocking by thousands to hear him which he was much maligned for yet there was not a man of all his detractors that ever charged him with the least immorality or indecency or neglect of exactest holiness though there was scarce ever seen a wrinkle in his Brow he being chearful in Conversation even to admiration yet as solemnly devout in the Worship of God on Lords days and Fast days as the greatest legalist so that his Enemies gave him his due Character for exact holiness But now for Mr. W. to say Dr. C. was holy and Reverend Dr. C. and but a few Lines before to say all the rest of his Opinions follow in a Chain to the dethroning of Christ c. seems strange but without doubt it is from a mighty over-ruling Providence of God not only out of the mouths of Babes and Sucklings the unlearned to perfect praise to his Name but to still the Enemy and Avenger Mat. 11. Ps 8. Not only do the simple Celebrate the Praises of God for the opening the Rich Mercies of Free-Grace by the Dr. but the Learned that seem to be his Enemies and come out against him with Vengeance God doth still them nay after high reproach he engages them to acknowledge this Dethroner of Christ I believe was a holy Man this is like Bellarming propter incertitudinem tutissimum est c. 'T is absolute Sovereign grace in Christ nothing in us that saves us when all is done Before I leave Mr. W. in this good temper I hope it may be useful as well for setling the wavering as confirming the sound To quote a passage or two I met with occasionally out of unquestionable Authority for Orthodoxy in the Faith for a suffrage to Dr. Crisp in what he is opposed by Mr. W. and that is out of the Reverend Dr. Harris of Hanwell an eminent member of the famous Assembly of Divines Anno 1652. I begin with his asserting That Christ sustained the Person of a sinner This is a grand charge against Dr. C. that Christ was a reputed sinner but this eminent Dr. H. makes no scruple to Assert it roundly without any ambiguity and saith directly in his Sermon called Absaloms Funeral in fol. 215 Christ he stood in our room and sustained the Person of a sinner though in himself sinless could not he though he was the Heir and first born escape until his Blood was shed and flesh rent and Soul poured forth as an Offering Then make good that thou art in Christ and so a new Creature or else take thy leave of all hope and comfort I add if this were not true that Christ sustained the Person of a sinner how could God punish him or how could the Apostle say to the seven Churches He loved us and washed us from our sins in his Blood sure those us were in Christ when he shed his Blood and i● his own Person as head he sustained them and all other sinners that he shed his Blood for else how were they Crucified with him and raised with him and made sit with him in Heavenly places now because Reason and Philosophy cannot fathom this shall we reject plain Scripture and say that the Elect have no interest in Christ till they believe though God say plainly grace was given them in Christ before the World was and they were chosen in him before the World Dr. H. gives his Testimony against the new sort of Divinity which may look better from him than Dr. Crisp and may reconcile to his Doctrine or rather Christs that nothing must come in of ours to joyn with Christ for Justification and saith in fol. 36. from Rom. 8.1 No Condemnation to those in Christ the Doctrines of later Editions Arminians drive mostly at this to wrest you from your Estate in Christ hence the superadding of our Righteousness to Christs ad Corroborandum look to your standing find all your Hopes Joys Life in him alone owe to him all Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification Redemption and Salvation This is far from the New Scheme of Gospel Ordination of Christs purchasing that Faith Holiness c. have their use in Gospel Benefits from their Conformity to the Rule of the Promise not of the Precept this taking us off from our superadded Righteousness ad corroborandum to strengthen our Title clearly evinces that he was not for Faith and holiness giving a Title no Faith can only receive it and Holiness Evidence it Dr. H. answers for Dr. C. as being charged that if God acts us in beleiving and God beleives and God repents and saith in fol. 64. Not only the power but the Act too is from God Phil. 2. He works in us to will and to do if it be thus say the Jesuits and others then Man shall not be master of his own Acts then God shall be said to repent and believe Man shall do nothing but all shall be resolved unto God Answ May not Man be said to understand though God do powerfully inlighten so also to hate love c. They the Jesuits yield that God worketh upon the Vnderstanding and the Affections and yet man understands and affects and why should not the same be true of the Will Secondly God first works all things in us and then by us he prevents and acts us and then we work under God Object This takes off all endeavour nay this quickens our Care and endeavour if St. Paul may be heard Phil 2.13 Therefore we must work out all because we depend on God for all saith the Apostle neither doth God only work in his People a power of willing but the very Act also and indeed the acting of the will of man is more than giving him a power only to will The Covenant of grace is this be content to accept of anothers Obedience and to lay hold of the Righteousness of Christ for Justification he soars as high as Dr. C. and saith there is nothing required of us more than this to disclaim our selves and to make Christ alone our Teacher our head and all-sufficient Saviour nay in fol. 35. he is clear and saith What can we do toward the getting of a new Heart Answ Man cannot concur to the renewing of himself as a Cause or an Agent If this be good Divinity in Dr. H. and the Assembly of Divines why should it be quarrel'd at in Dr. C. Would it not be more becoming the greatness of Mr. W's Spirit to have encountred the Assembly in these particulars than Dr. C. yea doubtless But there was a new Scheme to be erected and this would more easily obtain against a single Person than the established Religion of the Nation which in the chiefest points objected against Dr. C. concurs with him yea after all when Mr. W. finds by the strong Proofs brought against him that his Scheme will not take he betakes himself to the Substance of what he Objects against the Dr. as in time may be made evident in the mean time I humbly conceive I have made it appear that his Preface hath not only wronged the Dr. but the truth which I doubt not but in a great measure he sees Thus begging of the Lord that some glory may rise to his Name by some few hours investigating the Truth I conclude as well for Mr. W. and all that desire the Truth as it is in Jesus may take place as for my self let the Words of my Mouth and the Meditation of my Heart be acceptable in thy sight O Lord Tzuri ve Goeli my Rock and my Redeemer Amen FINIS