Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	faith_n	instrument_n	justification_n	2,903	5	9.7467	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77504	The mystical brasen serpent: with the magnetical vertue thereof. or, Christ exalted upon the cross, with the blessed end and fruit of that his exaltation, in drawing the elect world to himself, to believe on Him, and to be saved by Him. In two treatises, from John 3. 14, 15. 12. 32. Whereunto is added A treatise of the saints joint-membership each with other. As they were delivered to the Church of God at Great Yarmouth, by John Brinsley, minister of the gospel, and preacher to that incorporation. Imprimatur, Edm. Calamy. July 30. 1652.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1653 (1653)	Wing B4719; Thomason E1249_1; ESTC R208891	155,986	284

1. The proper object of faith as it justifieth that faith whereby we are justified and saved it looketh at other things It hath an eye at every truth revealed in the word beleeving all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets as Paul saith of himself Act. 24. 14. assenting to every promise every threatning but as it justifieth and saveth it looketh only at Christ Even as the Israelites with the same eye wherewith they beheld the Brasen Serpent they beheld other things also but they were cured only by looking upon the Brasen Serpent Thus that faith which justifyeth looketh at other things but as it justifieth it looketh only at Christ at Christ lifted up crucified Here is the proper Object of faith as it justifieth 2. And what is the proper Act of this faith 2. The proper act of faith as it justifieth Why to beleeve in Christ on Christ that is as I have said to look up unto him with hope confidence affiance resting and relying upon him and him alone for pardon of sins and eternall salvation This is truly to beleeve on Christ not only to beleeve Christ that there is a Christ that Jesus the son of Mary is that Christ that he is an All-sufficient Saviour that he hath done and suffered all things requisite for our salvation but to look up unto him as our Saviour applying the merit of his obedience unto our selves resting and relying upon him as our Jesus the alone means of our Justification and Salvation And this is that true Faith which draweth this healing saving vertue from Christ by which a poor sinner cometh to obtain these great benefits Quest How faith cometh to heal and save A second Question followeth How cometh this Faith thus to heal and save To this I may answer first Negatively then Positively Answ 1. Negatively 1. Shewing you how it doth not Justifie and save viz. Not as it is a work done by us not as it is a Habit or Quality a Gift or Grace inherent in us Thus faith justifieth not saveth not neither can it being in it selfe imperfect and defective as all other graces in regenerate persons are it cannot justifie it selfe much lesse the person in whom it is there is no such vertue in Faith it selfe no more then there was healing vertue in the eye of an Israelite It was not the eye that healed them neither is it Faith as faith either as an Act or Habit that helpeth us 2. Affirmatively viz. as How then Why Faith healeth and saveth these two wayes 1. As a Condition 2. As an Instrument 1. A condition of the Covenant 1. As it is a Condition of the New Covenant the Covenant of Grace a condition upon which God hath promised freely to justifie and save us Even as looking was the condition of the Israelites cure not touching but looking So here the condition of the Covenant of Grace is not Doing but Beleeving Not Fac hoc vive D this and live but Crede vive Beleeve and live Even as there it was Vide vive See and live so here Crede vive Beleeve and live This is the condition of this New Covenant that which God requireth at our hands in order to our Justification and Salvation Even as the Apostles Peter and John in the place forenamed bade that Cripple look upon them in order to his cure Act. 3.5 not that there was any vertue in that act of his but they required it as a condition whereupon they would freely cure him Thus are we cured and saved by looking up unto Christ by beleeving on him who upon our so doing doth freely justifie and save us 2. Faith healeth and saveth Instrumentally 2. An instrument viz. as it apprehendeth and applyeth Christ by whom we are healed and saved Thus faith justifieth and saveth not considered simply in it selfe as having any vertue in it selfe more then other graces have Other graces there are which in their own nature are as excellent and in some respects more excellent then faith Now abideth Faith Hope and Charity saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 13. last but the chiefest of these is Charity But it justifieth and saveth as it is considered Relatively with its Object As it is an Instrument an Eye a Hand to look up unto and take hold of Jesus Christ the meritorious cause of our Justification and Salvation Thus did the Israelites looking heal them not simply in or by it selfe but as directed to and fixed upon the Brasen Serpent that sanative vertue was in the Object not in the faculty In the Serpent that was seen not in the eye which looked upon it Thus that healing and saving vertue whereby we are justified and saved it is properly in Christ not in our faith that looketh up unto him All that faith herein doth is as an instrument to apply Christ and so to convey that vertue from him unto the soul Divines usually illustrate this by a familiar similitude of a Ring Faith and Christ as the Ring and the Blood-stone which hath in it a precious stone of some excellent quality suppose a Blood-stone or the like Such a Ring we say is good for such a purpose of soveraign use in such and such cases as to stanch bleeding c. Now to speak properly it is not the Ring but the Stone in the Ring which doth this there lieth all the vertue All that the Ring doth is only to apply the stone to the body or part affected Thus standeth the case here Faith is the Ring Christ is the Precious Stone All that faith doth or can do is to apply Christ to bring him home with all his merits and benefits to the soul In the mean time all the vertue is in Christ it is he that healeth that justifieth that saveth Even as the Story tels us of the woman in the Gospel who came and touched the hem of our Saviours garment Mark 5.25 touched it as with her finger so with her faith therupon she was presently cured of her bloody issue But was the vertue in her finger or in her Faith No the Text tels us expressely whence that healing vertue came ver 30. Luk. 8.46 I perceive that vertue is gone out of me saith our Saviour to his Disciples Her Faith in the mean time was only the instrument in drawing that vertue from Christ And in that respect our Saviour tels her ver 48. that her Faith had made her whole And even so are we to understand those Texts of Scripture where it is said that we are justified by faith and saved by faith viz. not Meritoriously but Instrumentally By grace ye are saved saith the Apostle through faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 2.8 Not Propter fidem but Per fidem Not for faith as the Meritorious cause which is only Christ but by or through faith as the Instrument conveying vertue

from Christ unto our Justification and Salvation You see the second Question resolved and therein a resolution prepared and in part given to the third which is Quest Why this should be the only way and means to convey this benefit from Christ Quest 3. Why faith the only means viz. to beleeve on him Answ Answ 1. So God hath appointed it To this I might return a sudden and yet satisfactory answer It is enough God hath appointed it so to be even as he appointed looking to be the means of conveying that sanative vertue to the Israelites from that Brasen Serpent not but that he could if he had pleased have directed them to some other way either to touch it or to fall down before it or the like or else he could have made it effectuall to them only by the bare presence of it in the Camp But this is the way which he pitcheth upon requiring them only to look up unto it Thus God could had he pleased have appointed other wayes and means of conveying life and salvation to us but hee hath been pleased in infinite wisdome and mercy to pitch upon this requiring no more from us as the condition of the Covenant of Grace but only this Beleeve on the Lord Jesus 2. Faith onely applyeth Christ 2. But secondly take a reason of this appointment Faith is the Instrument of conveying this benefit from Christ because Faith only applyeth Christ bringeth home Christ This is the proper work of faith Every grace hath its own proper work which is peculiar to it Even as every member of the body hath its proper office and work the Eye to see the Ear to hear the Hand to take or receive a thing so hath every grace its proper work Remembring your work of faith 1 Thes 1.3 and labour of love and patience of hope saith the Apostle to his Thessalonians Now what is the proper work of faith Why to Receive Christ To as many as received him he gave power to become the Sons of God even to as many as beleeve on his name Joh. 1.12 To apply Christ to bring Christ home with his merits unto the soul This doth faith It bringeth home Christ and bringing him home it bringeth home his benefits drawing from him that vertue that is in him And this is proper unto faith And therefore is it that God hath appointed this to be the only way to convey benefit from Christ unto poor sinners for their Justification and Salvation You see this third Question resolved and so you have this third Conclusion opened That which now remains hereof is the Application Which shall be only a word of Direction and Exhortation to all penitent broken-hearted sinners such as feel the sting of sin Applic. Seek cure in this way and desire to be healed cured for for such only is this Brasen Serpent erected this means of cure provided Being such now bee you advised and excited to put your soules upon this way of cure to look up unto this Brasen Serpent by faith to look up unto the Lord Jesus Christ Let it not bee enough that you have heard tidings of a Saviour to hear that God hath given his Son that Christ hath given himself for lost mankind or yet to know who and what this Christ was what he hath done what he hath suffered and the like Alas what would this have availed a poor Israelite to have heard of the Brasen Serpent that it was erected in the Camp and that all that came to it were healed by it whilst in the mean time himself lay close in his Tent never looking out for any benefit by it And what will this profit a poor sinner to hear what God hath done for others in giving a Christ a Saviour for them and to them whilst in the mean time himselfe lyeth still sleeping in his sinnes not looking out for cure for justification and salvation by and through him Better such a one had never heard these Gospell tidings His contempt or neglect of so great a mercy will be no small aggravation to his sin and punishment And therefore as many of us as God hath in any measure made sensible of our miserable state and condition by reason of sin as we desire deliverance out of that estate apply we our selves to the right use of this remedy Look we up unto Jesus Christ Looking up unto this Brasen Serpent Look up I say Not looking too much downwards upon our selves not poring too much upon our sins the multitude magnitude number nature quantity quality of them how many how great and grievous they are But look upwards look up unto Jesus Christ who is able to heale us to save us The Israelites which were stung with those fiery Serpents if they onely looked upon their soars and complained of their smart and anguish in the mean time neglecting or refusing to look up to the Brasen Serpent they died for it Such is the condition of a poor despairing soule whose eye is all upon his sore upon his sin and punishment as Cain's and Judas's were Gen. 4.13 My sin is greater then can be forgiven or my punishment is greater then I can bare Mat. 27.3 4. saith the one I have sinned in betraying innocent blood saith the other complaining of the grievousnesse thereof in the mean time never looking up to Christ for cure by this means he perisheth and dieth in his sins To all such then and all others who desire to have any benefit by Jesus Christ let it be spoken Look up to this Brasen Serpent look you up to the Lord Jesus obeying and dying for your sakes and look you up unto him as with desire so with hope with affiance and confidence of receiving benefit by him To set on this Exhortation what Arguments shall I take up Strange Motives there should be need of any I suppose it was argument enough to an Israelite being stung and feeling himselfe so to here that there was a Brasen Serpent lift up for a present remedy to all that should looke up unto it other motive he should need none to perswade him to fixe his eye upon it And certainly so would it be with poor sinners did they but feel themselves stung by sin were they but throughly convinced and made sensible of their wretched state and condition by reason of sin it would be motive sufficient to them to hear of a Saviour whom God hath set forth with promise that upon their looking to him beleeving on him they shall be saved they should need no other argument to perswade them to look up unto him Yet to quicken our dull and dead hearts doe but consider these four or five particulars 1. This is God's Ordinance 1. This is Gods Ordinance the way and means which God himself in infinite wisdome and mercy hath appointed to bring his Elect to life and salvation by viz. by faith in Christ and therefore submit