Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	exclude_v	faith_n	justification_n	1,460	5	9.5364	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31174	Salvation laid on its right foundation, or, The free grace of God prov'd to be the only ground of, and to have the alone stroke in, the matter of our salvation being the sum of two sermons / preach'd to a county auditory by an admirer of grace, and the freeness of it.	R. C.	1698 (1698)	Wing C113A; ESTC R34781	22,006	33

By Grace are ye saved through Faith That is as I told you in the Explication of the words by Christ believed on or Faith on Christ for you must always take it with the object we are not to place Righteousness in our Act of believing for by our believing we add nothing to our justifying Righteousness but do only apply it as wholly derived from Christ alone John 5.12 He that hath the Son hath Life We are not to take up our Standing partly in the Act of Faith and partly in the Object of faith making up as a Holy Man now with the Lord was wont to say a Righteousness partly from our selves and partly from Christ But we are by Faith to go out of our selves unto Christ for our whole sole and Justifying Righteousness The Scripture does not ascribe our Justification to the Act but wholly to the Object of Faith not to our believing but to Christ believed c. Now Faith being thus taken with the Object we may hence note by way of Doctrine or Observation That the Free Grace of God and Faith may stand together They don't one take away the other Faith hath been always Requisite as the the Instrument to apprehend and take Christ our Righteousnoss that so we might in God's sight be Justified This as the Apostle tells us the Scripture plainly holds forth 〈◊〉 12. The Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the Promise by Faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe And it is said God so loved the World that he hath given his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should have Everlasting Life 〈◊〉 16. Where we see Faith to be brought in as the Instrument without which neither the Promise can be appropriated nor Salvation attained When the Jaylor cryed Sirs what must I do to be saved You hear what Answer is given to the Question Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 〈◊〉 30 And therefore as the Righteousness of Christ hath been bestowed upon Men so it is true That Faith hath been all along appointed as the Receiver thereof Faith as one well notes is our Modus Habendi it is the Way and Means by which we come to have God and Christ and an Interest in Salvation by Grace We cannot have the Son but by Faith nor be in Christ but by believing but here some may object what I have already said namely That the grace of God cannot stand with any thing in man how then may such say can it stand with Faith I answer It is true that the grace of God does not brook any thing inherent in man and of man and yet notwithstanding may well agree with faith for faith is not of man no not in man by nature for says the Apostle all men have not faith 2 Thes 3.2 but it is only in Renewed Men and Women and in them as a gift of meer grace 2dly Faith does not justifie as it is an inherent quality in us but as it apprehends Christ Jesus the Redeemer 1 Cor. 3.30 who is made of God to us Wisdom and Righteousness and Purity God does not justifie us because of any antecedent act of Faith we have lying by us and which we could produce as a price as it were and a meritorious means of our Justification God justifies us by working Faith in us and therefore the Apostle says it is of faith Rom. 4.16 that it might be of grace thus you see that Faith is not at all prejudicial to the free grace of God And this is not the only Reason because that faith is given of grace for then all the gifts of the Holy Ghost might come likewise into the Article of Justification For 3dly Faith receives only and shews to God that righteousness of Christ which God hath given ond only for that thing received and not for the receiving that it seeks to be justified Oh that these great Truths which are the fundamental Points in our Religion were more advanced by Ministers and admired by Hearers 4thly Faith receiving Christ stands with the free grace of God because it is of Grace that the believing soul laying hold on Christ is justified for the Law knows not this Righteousness but bids us bring one of our own it is therefore of the Lords grace that we have faith to lay hold on the Righteousness of his Son so that it is clear that the free grace of God and faith may stand together hence by way of Use it is so that free grace and faith may stand together and that faith is tho' not our righteousness yet of singular use and excellency in that it apprehends the righteousness of Christ and for that righteousness seeks to be justified Oh then magnifie and adore the free grace of God for this gift if it had not been for faith Christ and our souls would have never met we had never tasted any preciousness in him nor have been led out in desires after him Oh therefore be bowing your selves before the Lord for the gift of Faith bestowed on you tho withheld from others But 2dly Seeing faith tho it be instrumental yet it is not causal in the matter of our Justification let this reprove those who would put in claim for justification on account of their faith as if that were materially or influentially causal of Justification Faith it self as it is the Believers Act comes under the notion of a work it may be necessary therefore to consider what part it is that faith holds in this matter lest whiles we exclude works as inconsistent with grace I mean as a procuring cause of our Salvation we make a work of faith it is the Office or Work of Faith to make the soul live wholly on the fulness of another and to get emptied of it self to apprehend that righteousness by which grace justifies therefore such are highly reproveable who presume upon coming to God with price in their hand they never truly received the gift of Faith for that comes empty handed to God and leads the soul to God as a forlorn worthless Creature looking for justification and salvation from nothing on this side the free grace of God True faith moulds the soul into the frame of spirit old Jacob was when he cried Gen. 32.10 I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies it bows down under a sence of its own nothingness which is fixed upon Christ's fulness But 3dly It is so that faith though not causal is very instrumental in the matter of justification and salvation Oh then as ever you would suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations ●sa 66.11 as ever you would see any beauty or loveliness in faith or reap comfort and satisfaction by the abundance of faith beg earnestly that God would strenghen your faith imitate the man in the Gospel who cried Lord I believe Mark 9.23 help my unbelief q. d. Lord I cannot

glory and instead of excluding Man's boasting Grace it self will be excluded which is far from a Glorifying of it as is plain from Rom. 11.6 So that this is one Reason why God will Save His by Free Grace and undeserved Favour because He will make way for the Manifestation of the Riches of his Grace to after Generations that they may be Admirers of it and rely upon it Secondly A Second Reason why God will Save His by meer Free Grace and undeserved Favour is because He will utterly Exclude Works Grace and Works being Inconsistent in the Cause of Salvation the Scripture is very wary and cautelous of admitting any thing as a Co-Partner with Grace in this Matter the design of which is to take us off from Leaning on the Graces in us or good Works that come from us and that God takes this way in Saving His People is very clear and evident from that Weighty and Soul-Refreshing Scripture 2 Tim. 1.9 Who hath Saved and Called us with an Holy Calling n t according to our Works but according to his Purpose and Grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the World began Whence it doth undeniably appear That it is not from any thing in us but God's Favour which doth work all for us Now that this may shine the clearer let us consider the difference between the Covenant of the Law and of the Gospel For the First there was the Grace of God in this that He would stoop so low as to Contract a Covenant with Man of Righteousness and Life when a l that Man could do were Offices due for that which he had already received in his Creation But first this Covenant was not stricken or made up in a Mediator Secondly this Covenant was not to be performed for any other but for the Righteousness which should have been found in our selves Thirdly we should in this Covenant have procured the Blessings of God unto our selves so that though there was Grace in a large Sense that God would enter into Covenant when He was not 〈◊〉 yet 〈◊〉 consider that in the Gifts inherent in us by Creation 〈◊〉 founded that for our Righteousness and Works we should have had the things covenanted applied that we should then have procured these things Here is Grace that God entered into Covenant but it is not Rich Free Grace because Man if He had stood might have challenged his Justification and Life as a Debt due for his performances not as a meer gift from Grace But now the Lord does all of Grace For First The Foundation of our Righteousness and Life he hath made out of us in his Son Jesus Christ Secondly The Lord for his Christ apprehended by us performs all things not for any thing in us but for his Christ He does not make us procurers of those things but in Christ does himself prepare them for us that our Rejoycing might be in him In this there is Grace yea and Rich Gospel Grace that God doth covenant in the Mediator that He bestows his Precious Son upon us and reveals him to us and does for him make us partakers of Righteousness and Life Here is Grace othergates Grace than that under the Law for that required inherent Righteousness as that which alone could Justify us This Rich Grace Pelagians Arminians Free-willers c. are strangers too they are unacquainted with the Grace of the New Covenant for this is not that Rich Grace because God having pardoned our Sins does give us the graces of His Spirit that we might be Righteous and Live for if this were all that we are saved And First of Grace because God undeservedly hath given those Graces which makes us Righteous and deserve Salvation Then Adam thus standing might be saved by Grace because those deservings were given him of the Grace of God So that the point is very clear that God in the Riches of his Free Grace and Favour doth justify us 2.11 The Grace of God bringing Salvation unto all Men hath appeared So that the meer Grace of God not excited by any works but working of its own accord hath the whole stroke in the matter of our salvation and this is what was well known in the time of the Old Testament The Lord having declared himself a God Gracious to whom he would be Gracious Exod. 33.19 and God will thus save his in a way of excluding works because his Glory is most dear unto him He has said Isa 42.8 He will not give it to another God will have no Co-partner with him in the work of salvation he hares and abhors that Arrogance and Impudence in Man in going about to Intrude something of his own so be sharers with him in that Great work and therefore God doth so save us to the barring and shuting out of Works and so work in the business of our Salvation that Man may have no matter of rejoycing out of God Who doth all this work in himself out of man that whoso rejoyceth might rejoyce in the Lord according to that of the Apostle He that Glorieth let him Glory in the Lord. Notwithstanding 1 Cor. 1. ult all which we readily joyn with and bow before the Apostles assertion That they which believe Tit. 3.8 ought to maintain good works Grace does not exclude works in the way of salvation only when they are brought in as Co partners or joynt causers thereof and in this case they are to be wholly excluded Grace being the true and only cause of our salvation and works if right and truly good will always be ready to own their Original and to keep in their own place where also they will appear most amiable and be most serviceable But Thirdly a third Reason Rea. 3d. why God will save his by meer Free Grace and undeserved favour why Free Grace is the ground of their salvation Is because it could not consist with the wisdom and goodness of God to found the salvation of his People on a failable bottom which it must be said to be if dependent on any thing besides his unchangeable Grace and Love for whatever it was that salvation had being from by that also it must be maintained What then would have become of it if built on that Goodness Which is as the Morning Cloud and early dew H●● 6.4 God therefore build it 〈◊〉 a firmer Foundation Viz. His own Free Grace 〈◊〉 the Creatures Goodness even whilst in a State of Perfection to be too sickle and slight a thing to build so great a work upon Fourthly a Fourth Reason Why Free Grace is the ground of our salvation or why God will save his by meer grace and undeserved favour Is because such is the Nature and Substance of the Covenant of Grace to give freely without being moved from any thing in Man All that God does for those he will save is for his Names sake which Name is recorded in Exod. 34.5 and 6. The Lord God