Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	death_n	life_n	sin_n	9,880	5	5.5192	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41483	The banner of justification displayed: or; a discourse, concerning the deep, and important mystery of the justification of a sinner wherein the severall causes thereof, being both numerous and various, are from the first to the last diligently enquired after, and their severall contributions towards so great and happy a work, clearly distinguished, and assigned to their proper causes (respectively.) and more particularly is shewed, how God, how the grace of God, how the decree of God, how the soveraign authority of God; how Christ, how the active obedience [of] Christ, how the passive obedience of Christ, how the resurrection of Christ, how the knowledge of Christ; how the spirit of God, how faith, how repentance, how works, how remission of s[in,] how the word, how the minister of the word, how the P[ope?] himself which is justified, may all truly, though upon severall accounts, and after different manners, be sayed to justifie.	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1659 (1659)	Wing G1150A; ESTC R221574	62,441	91

sins is to be had yet it legitimates or authorizeth the person for the reception of this blessed Accommodation from the hand of Faith And for this reason also it may well be conceived to have the promise of Justification or Remission of sins made unto it as well as Faith it self Sect. 13 13. That good works have their part also in the great businesse of Justification is the expresse affirmation of the Scripture Ye see then how that by works a man is justified and not by Faith only Jam. 2. 24. Again Was not Abraham our Father justified by Works when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar Jam. 2. 21. We have already upon occasion argued and shewed the Interest of Works in or about Justification Peruse 11. We shall here partly adde and partly repeat 1. That that Justification which consists in Remission of sins and which enstates a person in a right of title and claim to Eternal Life is not attained but by sinners being brought into Communion with Christ in his Death or which is the same into part and fellowship in this Death which is the only procuring cause of this Justification by way of purchase 2. That whatsoever bringeth men hither I mean into Communion of or with the Death of Christ must be sealed and authorized by God hereunto 3. That a true and unfaigned Faith in God through Jesus Christ sometimes called Faith in Christ yea and several other wayes expressed as hath been already observed and this Faith only not any work or works of what kinde soever or in what number soever injoyned in the Moral Law hath a commission or power from God to bring men into or to give men part and fellowship in the Death of Christ Therefore Good works have thus farre no part or interest at all in Justification as it standeth in Remission of sins being excluded here-from by the same Law by which Boasting also is excluded which the Apostle termeth the Law of Faith Where is Boasting then It is excluded By what Law Of Works Nay but BY THE LAW OF FAITH Rom 3. 27. By this Law Faith hath the office or work of justifying men in this sense and with this kinde of Justification setled upon and confirmed unto it self alone There is another kinde of Justification which the Scripture also frequently speaks of under this name as was noted 11. which consists in the approbation commendation or vindication of a person from guilt or blame whether justly or unjustly imputed unto him Of this kinde of Justification when it is duely and justly given or pronounced Good Works in one kinde or other and for the most part those of the Moral Law have a special and particular interest in it being the only regular ground upon which the act or sentence of such a Justification can or ought to proceed And though God by means of his appropriate priviledge of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or knowing the heart can and doth upon a sufficient ground secretly and in himself approve of him who as yet only believeth I mean with a true and unfeigned Faith and before he hath any wayes justified or commended this his Faith by good works yet he is not wont to signifie or declare by one means or other this his approbation of any particular person untill he hath shewed the World his Faith by his Works Nor doth he require of any man to judge of any other person as a man justified in his sight by a true and unfaigned Faith who hath not given either unto him or unto some others from whom he may receive the information a fair and reasonable account by works suteable of such a Faith residing in him And questionlesse it was this kinde of Justification of which the Apostle James discourseth so largely in his Second Chapter as appeareth all along the Context from vers 14. to the end Therefore when he demands vers 21. Was not our Father Abraham justified by works when he had offered his Son Isaac upon the Altar Evident it is that by Abrahams being justified he doth not mean that Abraham had his sins pardoned for he had been thus justified long before And besides his offering up his Son Isaac upon the Altar could be no means of obtaining Remission of sins from God But when he is said to have been justified by works when he had offered c. the meaning is that upon this great testimony given by Abraham of the truth and effectualnesse of his Faith God highly approved of him loved him and dealt by him as by a person righteous and just and called him his Friend The tenour of the story in Genesis fully accordeth herewith For immediately upon Abrahams stretching forth his hand and taking the knife to slay his Son the Angel of the Lord called unto him ●ut of Heaven and sayd Lay not thine hand upon the Lad neither do thou any thing unto him for now I know that thou fearest God seeing that thou hast not with-held thy Son thine only Son from me Gen. 22. 11 12. A second time also the Angel upon this offering up of his Son called unto him out of Heaven and sayd By my self have I sworn saith the Lord for because thou hast done this thing and hast not with-held thy Son thine only S●n That in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy Seed as the Stars of the Heaven and as the Sand which is upon the Sea shore and thy Seed shall possess the Gate of his Enemies And in thy Seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed because thou hast obeyed my Voyce Gen. 22. 15. 16 17 18. In these passages is that justification of Abraham expressed and contained whereof the Apostle James speaketh affirming him to have obtained it at the hand of God by Works as well as by his Faith which he sayth wrought together with them meaning towards the procuring or obtaining of this justification or approbation from God and was by them perfected or made perfect i. Was declared to be perfect that is sound and good or else was perfected {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. Became effectuall to the obtaining of its proper end Viz. The approbation and love of God with favourable and friendly respects from him which is the perfection Viz. Arguitivè or Argumentatively of any thing As on the contrary when any thing pretending to be a means for the compassing of such or such an end proves yet unable to effect it this argueth though haply not alwayes demonstratively the imperfection or weakness of it In much a like sense to that wherein Abraham as we have heard is sayd to have been justified by works is Rahab the Harlot also i. Who formerly had been an Harlot sayd to have been justified v. 25. The meaning is that upon Rahab's Demonstration of the reality and truth of her Faith in exposing her life to danger by entertaining and hiding the Spies sent

when he was a Child That the one hath Justification or Remission of sins annexed unto it by promise from God and the other not doth no more prove them to differ specie no nor yet individuo then Pauls proving in time a great and faithfull Apostle and chosen Vessel unto God proveth him to have been either of another species or another individuum when he was a fierce Persecutor and as himself acknowledgeth of sinners the chief But this Circle of Discourse is I confesse somewhat Eccentrical to our businesse in hand which is not to distinguish Repentance as preceding and as accompanying Faith but to inquire out and declare as God shall inable and direct what or how Repentance as included in or accompanying Faith operateth towards Justification or Remission of sins That which I conceive is this God not judging it meet to invest a person who yet retains the love and liking of sinfull and wicked wayes with so great and sacred a priviledge and Grace as Forgiveness of sins was pleased to establish it for a Law that no Man or Woman remaining impenitent and without unfeigned remorse of Soul for their sins past should ever be admitted into part and fellowship of that unspeakable Grace of his in Jesus Christ which consists in pardon or Remission of sins Again being highly pleased with that most regular generous and worthy deportment of Soul in whomsoever it should be found which consists in a genuine and real hatred and abhorrency of all unrighteousnesse and of whatsoever is sinfull or unclean enacted another Law in honour of this Heroick Act and Deportment viz. that whosoever should with his whole heart and soul repent of all his sinfull miscarriages and misdoings and stand resolved in heart for wayes of purity and uprightnesse for the future should be translated by him into that blessed state which standeth in Remission of all sin So that Repentance seems to operate two wayes towards Justification or Remission of sins First in the nature or after the manner of that kinde of cause which Logicians call Removens prohibens i. e. which contributeth towards an effect by removing that out of the way which being not removed would have hindered it Thus the taking away of the Dignity place and power of the Roman Emperors was the cause of the discovery or rising up of the Anti-Christian Race and their power 2 Thess. 2 7 8. So Repentance by removing that wretched and wicked habit or frame of soul which being un-removed would have obstructed the Grace and Blessing of pardon of sin contributeth towards the obtaining of it Secondly as Repentance includes in the nature and constituting Principles of it a disposition or frame of heart so highly pleasing unto God that he judgeth it no wayes unworthy of him to honour and reward it with so great a reward as Remission of sins so it may be conceived to contribute or operate towards Remission of sins or Justification tanquam causa dispositiva i. e. as regularly qualifying the subject for the reception of the form to be brought into it By this I suppose the interest of Repentance or that which it acteth towards in or about Justification may be clearly distinguished from the Interest of Faith and that which it acteth in reference to the same end When God in Scripture is said to justifie the ungodly the meaning is not that he justifies ungodly persons whilest they are or remain ungodly but he is said to justifie the ungodly in like form of speech as our Saviour useth Mat. 11. 5. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. That is The blinde see the lame walke the Leapers are cleansed and the deaf hear The meaning clearly enough is not that the Blinde whilest blinde did see or the Lame whilest they remained Lame did walk or that the Lepers whilest their Leprosie was yet upon them were cleansed c. but that such who had been formerly and untill Christ relieved them Blinde Lame Lepers Deaf were by him miraculously restored such as had been Blinde to their Sight such as had been Lame to the usefulnesse of their Limbs for walking c. In like manner God is said to justifie the ungodly when he justifies or makes such persons righteous by the pardon of their sins who had formerly been ungodly prophane c. But he doth not justifie them or make them righteous by the Forgivenesse of their sins whilest they remain ungodly but upon the alteration and change of the sinfull frame of their hearts by believing he conferres this Justification upon them viz. the Forgivenesse of their sins And the reason why God doth not judge it meet to justifie men or forgive them their sins whilest they remain ungodly unrighteous wicked prophane or the like may be partly to cut off all occasion from his Creature to conceive of him as a friend to sin or to impenitent and obdurate sinners partly also to contrive his Grace and high favour in Justification into an alluring Argument and strong motive to perswade men out of the love and liking of sin and sinfull wayes into the love and practise of Righteousnesse and true Holinesse The Apostle Paul was put to Apologize for his Doctrine of the Grace of God in Forgivenesse of sins because according to it this Grace is promised and given unto sinners though unto such sinners only who repent and bring forth fruits meet for Repentance But if saith he whilest we seek to be justified by Christ we our selves also are found sinners is therefore Christ the Minister of sin i. e. doth Christ by justifying such Sinners as he justifieth viz. such who believe and repent countenance abet or promote sin in the world God forbid Gal. 2. 17. If then inconsiderate and unworthy men conceive that God would be liable to an imputation of favouring or cherishing sin in men in case he should justifie or pardon all Sinners upon their Repentance which now he doth how much more obnoxious would he have been in such mens opinions to this imputation and charge in case he should have indulged this high Priviledge of Justification unto sinners without Repentance Upon this account then it is most probable that God hath not judged it meet to admit or allow any other kinde of Faith to bring men into communion of the Death of Christ for the Forgivenesse of their sins but only that which is accompanyed with an unfeigned Repentance or which purifieth and cleanseth the heart or at least is apt so to doe from the love and liking of all unrighteousnesse and uncleannesse If it be thus then the interposure or interest of Repentance about Justification is by way of Qualification or of rendering the subject the sinner regularly capable of that high and sacred Priviledge And though it doth not perform the office or work of Faith about Justification which is as hath been said to bring men into the fellowship of the Death of Christ where and where only Justification or Remission of

from Joshua God entreated her as a justified or righteous person by preserving her and her Fathers house for her sake with all that she had when the City she dwelt in with all that was in it both man and woman young and old besides were utterly destroyed with the edge of the Sword Josh. 6. 21 22 23 c. So that the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} to be justified in this Coutexture of Discourse doth not signifie the proper effect of that Act of God by which he constitutes or makes men righteous or just or by which he justifies them but the effect one or more of some such Act of his by which he expresseth himself lovingly graciously and bountifully towards such persons who are or have been justified and made righteous by him and hereby declares and after a sort pronounceth them righteous But he doth not judge it fitting or meet thus to countenance them or to entreat them as righteous or justified persons untill they have first given a good Testimony of the reality and soundness of that Faith upon and by which he justifieth them The expression wherein a person is sayd to be justified when he is only respected or dealt with as being justified i. As a justified person is metonymicall and frequent in Scripture the Antecedent being oft put for the Consequent Thus by Hunting Gen. 27. 3. is meant taking or getting by hunting and Deut. 21. 16. to make a Son the first-born signifies to respect him as the first-born or to confer upon him the Priviledge of the first-born So also Rom. 5. 19. to be made sinners imports a being made lyable unto punishment or such a Condition which belongs unto sinners to omit many the like In this sense and notion of the word justifie the Lord Christ may be sayd to justifie those that shall stand at his right hand in the great day in saying thus unto them Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the Foundation of the World The reason or ground in equity of this justification is declared in the words next following For I was an hungry and yee gave me meat I was thirsty and yee gave me drink c. Mat. 25. 34 35 c. This most gracious address and application of Christ unto those that shall be saved especially in conjunction with that most dreadfull and Soul-confounding address immediatly following unto those that shall eternally perish Depart from me yee Cursed into everlasting fire c. together with the reason hereof in the next words For I was an hungred and yee gave me no meat c. I say these respective Decisions or Adjudications of Christ plainly evince and prove that no person whatsover of years of discretion and actually capable of knowing Good and Evill shall receive the great benefit and blessing of justification by means of any such Faith which shall not utter and approve it self before God and men by fruitfulness in well-doing according to such means and opportunities as shall have been afforded unto them And this also is the apparant drift and scope of the Apostle James in that Discourse some passages whereof we lately sifted and insisted upon out of his second Chapter Thus we see what the interest and part of good works is in the great business of justification according to the Scriptures 14. That Remission of sins likewise is no Alien or Sect. 14 stranger unto Justification but in some neer imployment about it is of ready demonstration from the Scriptures The discourse of the Apostle Rom. 4. from v. 1. to v. 8. inclusivè is pregnant to this purpose But to him saith he v. 5. that worketh not Viz. With an intent or hope of being justified by his working or that worketh not i. That wanteth works competent or sufficient to justifie him but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly meaning God who justifieth even those that have been ungodly and so must needs be without works meritorious of Justification upon their believing his Faith is counted for Righteousness i. He is made a righteous or just man by means of his believing and is accordingly looked upon by God Even as David also describeth the blessedness i. Either the justification or the blessedness accruing by it Of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness i. Whom he justifieth Without works Viz. Which are any wayes meritorious of Justification For this Apostle by works in opposition unto Faith in the business of Justification constantly understandeth The Merit of Works In which sense also his Adversaries the Jews understood and urged it saying Blessed are they whose Iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin By this Description from the Pen of David Of the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth Righteousness i. Justifieth as hath been been shewed It appears that his Righteousness or Justification passively taken which is the cause or means of his Blessedness consists in the forgiveness of his Iniquities or which is the same in substance though differing in consideration or respect in the non-imputation of sin unto him By means as well of the one as of the other of these the mans sins are sayd to be covered that is I conceive to pass unpunished Indempnity from punishment being a kind of Veyl by which the sins of Transgressors are kept from being much minded or taken notice of by men As on the other hand when God openly judgeth or punisheth men for their sins he is sayd to un-cover or dis-cover them Ezek. 16. 37. 57. Ezek. 23. 10. and elsewhere Now by that Description as the Apostle termeth it which David giveth as we have heard of the blessedness of the justified Person placing it in this that his Iniquities or sins are remitted or forgiven It is a clear Case that Remission of sins justifieth Per modum causae formalis as the form or formall Cause is sayd to give being to that which is caused by it When a Painter maketh a Wall white Whiteness is the Form or formall Cause by which the Wall is made white or which maketh the Wall white Nor can it be with reason reduced to any of the other kinds of Causes as is evident it being no Efficient or materiall or ●●…all Cause hereof nor carrying the least semblance of any of these In like manner when God justifieth a sinner that which he doth to him or for him is precisely this He forgiveth him his sins this is the very form of that his Action i. The form which by his Act of justifying he introduceth anew upon the sinner Nor doth he any other thing directly and immediatly unto a person when and as he justifieth him but only forgive him his sins Of one and the same Act or Action there cannot be a plurality of Effects immediate and direct really differing the one from the other It is true as there may be sundry collaterall

prepared according to his mind for him to work or act upon or about justifyingly And when God doth justifie such a person he doth introduce a new form as Viz. Righteousness remission of sins or justification passive for these I take to be much the same into matter rightly and appropriatly disposed for the reception of it which matter is as hath been said the sinner now believing As when fire heateth the water that is hung over it or otherwise applyed unto it the water is the matter upon which the fire acteth in this act of calefaction and the heat which it causeth in the water is the form which it induceth or introduceth into it This briefly for the materiall Cause of Justification The finall Cause of Justification is commonly distinguished into that which is subordinate or less principal and Sect. 19 that which is ultimate and supream The former is with one consent affirmed to be the great benefit or blessedness of the Creature or person justified which Blessednesse standeth in two particulars chiefly deliverance from under the guilt of sin with all the misery consequentiall hereunto and an investiture with a regular Title or Claim unto that immortall and undefiled Inheritance which is reserved in the Heavens to be enjoyed in due time by all those who shall be found in a due capacity to be admitted into part and fellowship therein The ultimate or supream end or materiall Cause of Justification is concluded with a Nemine contradicente as far as I know to be the Glory of God partly in the just vindication of a sinner from under the guilt of sin and from the punishment incurred thereby and partly in the Salvation and eternall Glorification of the person so vindicated As for the opinion or notion of those who conceive that God designeth nothing acteth nothing in strictness and propriety of consideration for himself or for his own Glory ultimately but all for the good and benefit of his Creature I shall not upon this occasion either plead or implead it only I shall crave leave to say this that as far as I have yet looked into it and conversed with it I do not find it so extravagant or uncouth or so hard of reconcilement either with the Scriptures where they seem most contradicting it or with any the received grounds or principles of Christian Religion as I suppose it is like to seem unto many at its first appearance and hearing And though there may be more in the opinion were it narrowly examined and scan'd from the one end of it unto the other as well for the glory of God as for the benefit and comfort of the Creature yet because such an examination of it may haply require a just Treatise and more of the ordinary rank of Professors are more like to be startled or amazed at it then to embrace it I shall therefore forbear to encumber the commonly received Doctrine concerning the finall Cause or ultimate end of Justification with any further mention of it Thus we have shewed how great a number and what variety as well of things as of persons there are all both of the one kind and the other joyning hand in hand and making as it were one shoulder to bring the great blessing of Justification upon the head of a poor sinner God who is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working a judged it meet that a matter of so gracious and rare of so profound and wonderfull a contrivance should pass through many hands before his Creature Man to whom it was meant and intended should be invested with the actuall possession and enjoyment of it There is scarce any thing of a more humbling consideration to the height and pride of the Spirit of a man then to be subjected to a multiplicity of dependences especially upon such either persons or things which he either judgeth but equal unto but most of all if beneath himself for the obtaining of that of which he stands in need and without which he fully understands that it cannot be well with him Such a posture or subjection as this sets him of● at the greatest distance in his condition from God in point of true Greatness and Glory Nor is there any thing in all the unlimited circumference of the blessedness of God that renders him greater or more glorious in the eyes of his Creature then his {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or self sufficiency and his absolute independency upon all whether persons or things whatsoever besides himself And doubtless in such cases where the number of dependencies is not established by any indispensable Law or Decree of God they that can contract themselves to the smaller number of them for the enjoyment of themselves with comfort and contentment will reduce their present conditions to the nearest affinity whereof it is capable with the blessedness of God himself But where God hath by any revealed appointment or declared will suspended the attainment of any spirituall enjoyment priviledge or blessing upon mens application of themselves unto him in the use of such and such means of what number or kind soever their non-subjection to this Law or appointment of his in the neglect of any one of these means is of a very dangerous and sad presage that they will fall short in the attainment of the blessing And for this reason my Soul cannot but sadly lament over the case and condition of all those who have in the ignorance vanity and pride of their Spirits turn'd their backs upon the Ministry of the Gospel setting their Faces towards Fancies and conceited Methods of their own though of Satans Inspiration for their justification in the sight of God whereas it hath been evidently shewed and proved from the Mouth of Godhimself that amongst those various Actors in and about the great business of Justification which have been presented upon the Theater of this brief Discourse he hath assigned a worthy co-operation or part unto the Ministry and Ministers of the Gospel Therefore they who disdain to have the royall Robe of Righteousness or Justification put upon them by men of this Function and Office as judging them unworthy and too mean to serve them in so high and sacred a Concernment for any hope that I am able upon any good ground to give them of a better Issue they are never like to wear it FINIS These Books following are to be sold by Henry Eversden at the Grey-hound in Pauls Church-yard IMputatio Fidei Or a Treatise of Justification wherein the imputation of Faith for Righteousness mentioned in Rom. 4. 5 6. is explained by Mr. John Goodwin Minister of the Gospel In Quarto Triumviri Or the Genius Spirit and Deportment of the three Men Mr. Richard Resbury Mr. John Pawson and Mr. George Kendall in their late Writings against the Free Grace of God in the Redemption of the World and vouchsafement of means of Salvation unto men briefly described in their native and