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	justification_n	sanctification_n	2,253	5	11.1405	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80633	Severall questions of serious and necessary consequence, propounded by the teaching elders, unto M. Iohn Cotton of Boston in New-England. With his respective answer to each question.	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.	1647 (1647)	Wing C6455; Thomason E377_18; ESTC R20974	7,221	12

sooner then our sanctification by Christ and yet neither will discerning of it yeeld setled comfort to the soule till the Spirit of God doth witnesse from Christ Gods thoughts of peace towards him Quest XII VVhether when my sanctification lyeth prostrate I may not prove my self in a state of Grace by my sanctification Answ If my justification lyeth prostrate that is altogether dark and hidden from me I cannot prove my self in a state of Grace by my sanctification For whilst I cannot beleeve that my person is accepted in justification I cannot beleeve that my works are accepted of God as any true sanctification Quest XIII VVhether evidencing justification by sanctification be a building my justification on my sanctification or a going on in a Covenant of Works Answ To evidence my justification by my sanctification though it may seem at first blush a plaine and evident Phrase yet is it indeed ambiguous or at least obscure Give me leave to cleare the sense of it and then give you mine answer To evidence my justification by my sanctification is no more at first hand then to give or hold forth my sanctification for an evident Argument of justification Thus farre the Phrase is plain But now when I give it for an evident Argument I may give it either for an evident cause or ground of my justification or for an evident signe or effect of it Again when I give it for an evident sign of justification I may either give it alone for an evident sign having nothing els to shew for my justification or I may give it for a concurrent signe together with other signes and witnesses which may make both my justification and my sanctification evident and cleare to my selfe and others Having thus cleared the ambiguity and obscurity of the Phrase I give you mine Answer distinctly in these severall Propositions Proposition 1. To give my sanctification for an evident ground or cause or matter of my justification is to build my justification upon my sanctification and to go on in a Covenant of Works Propos 2. To give my sanctification for an evident ground or cause of my faith whereby I am justified as when I doe not nor dare not depend upon Christ for my justification till I evidently see my sanctification this is also to build my justification on my sanctification and to go on in a Covenant of works For sanctification or which is all one good workes are not the cause of justifying faith but justifying faith the cause of them Propos To give my sanctification for an evident cause and ground of my faith not whereby I am justified but whereby I beleeve my self to be justified which they call the Faith of Assurance this may be a building my justification on my sanctification or a going on in a Covenant of Works two waies 1. If the soule have no evidence of his dependance upon Christ for righteousnesse nor no evidence of his effectuall calling unto Christ and unto faith in Christ by the Fathers drawing him to come to him but onely he seeth an evident change in himselfe from a prophane and civill course to a sanctified conversation or at least upon that which is worse to wit upon that which seemeth true Christian sanctification which indeed is not but a legal Reformation For when a man hath been humbled under the Spirit of bondage by the terrors of the Law yet he may never come to feel his need of Christ nor his own insufficiency or unworthiness to receive him Though he may obtain 1 Restraining grace to keep him from known sinnes 2. Constraining or exciting Grace to provoke him to duty or else his Conscience sometimes terrified by the Law would flye in his face And though in this way he may finde comfort as the stony ground did and thorny soyle much more and so from this great change hee may build up to himselfe the faith or Assurance of his Justification yet in truth in so doing he buildeth upon such a sanctification which is indeed a sandy foundation 2. To give my sanctification for an evident ground or cause of faith whereby a man beleeveth himselfe to be justified may be a building of Justification upon a Sanctification in another case to wit when we shall give a man no other ground or evidence of his justification but onely from the evidence of his sanctification For the Publican did not as the Pharisee thought himselfe did see any evident fruits of his sanctification but was deeply affected with the sense of his sinnes so that he smote his breast with the Anguish of sin and durst not lift up his eyes to heaven through confusion of face for sinne but only cryed out to God to be mercifull unto him in this sinfull estate and yet by our Saviours own judgement this man went home justified rather then the other Luk. 18. though he saw no evidence of his sanctification but rather Evidence of his sinfull corruption If any of our brethren doubt hereof I would pray them to call to minde what some of them that lived in Essex have heard our brother Hooker and Master Rogers also teach soundly and argue out of the Word that there be saving graces which are not sanctifying but are wrought before sanctification which yet may beare witnesse to a safe estate and I may adde to Fellowship with Christ for there is no safety but in him before the soule can see any evidence of his Sanctification Propos 4. A man may give his sanctification for an evident ground or cause of his faith whereby he is justified and yet sometimes not build his justification upon his sanctification nor be under a Covenant of workes but only sometimes go aside to a Covenant of works As in case when a man is truly justified and seeth it not he doth then betake him to his workes for the hastning of his assurance As Abraham when he had long waited for the Promised Seed thought he was justified by beleeving the free Promise yet for the more speedy satisfying of his faith and hope he turned aside to go into Hagar who was a Type of the Covenant of works for the hastning of his sight and fruition of the promised Seed So there be sundry Children of Abraham even of his elect Seed that having been driven out of their sins by a Spirit of Bondage and finding a need of Christ and their own insufficiency and unworthinesse to receive him do therefore seek and wait for him by the mighty power of God in every Ordinance and Duty Such men are already truly justified though it may be as yet they do not know so much because this their seeking and waiting for Christ in the sense of their own need emptiness and unworthiness is a true act of a lively justifying faith But now if such souls because God may tarrie long before they can see and feel Christ given to them shall therefore seek Christ in their owne workes or sanctification and in the