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	justify_v	salvation_n	3,033	5	8.0315	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45680	Christ's righteousness imputed, the Saint's surest plea for eternal life, or, The glorious doctrine of free-justification, by the imputation of the pure and spotless righteousness of Jesus Christ, stated, cleared, vindicated, and made plain to the meanest capacity being the substance of several sermons, on Isaiah XLV. 24, 25 / by Michael Harrison ...	Harrison, Michael, Minister at Potters-Pury.	1690 (1690)	Wing H903; ESTC R10310	20,250	35

Justification and there are two Considerations that will much clear the Manner of this Imputation 1. As Adam's Sin is imputed to his Posterity whereby they are all become Sinners Rom. 5.12 In him all have sinned even so is Christ's Righteousness to all his whereby they become righteous Rom. 5.19 As by one Man's Disobedience many i. e. all Mankind were made Sinners so by the Obedience of one many i. e. all the Spiritual Seed of Christ for the Apostle is there speaking of the two Seeds were made righteous 2. As the Sins of the Elect were laid upon or imputed to Christ as Isa 53.4 5 Rom. 4. last He was made Sin for us So the Obedience or Righteousness of Christ is imputed to us 2 Cor. 5. last We are made the Righteousness of God in him IV. Let us now Consider the Time when we are made Partakers of this blessed Priviledge Justification And here Consider 1. From Eternity God hath decreed to justifie all the Elect for it must be granted that all those blessed Priviledges the Saints enjoy in Time is setled upon them in God's Eternal Purpose Eph. 1.4 He hath chosen us in him before the Foundation of the World that we should be holy and without blame before him in Love V. 5. Having predestinated us to the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the Good Pleasure of his Will so that Adoption Justification Sanctification and all other Spiritual Heavenly Blessings are setled upon us in God's Eternal Election before Time but yet it can in no propriety of Speech be said We are justified from Eternity there being not one Syllable in the whole Bible that saith so We must distinguish between a Purpose in God to do such a Thing in Time and the Thing actually done we are no more justified from Eternity then we are sanctified and glorified from Eternity God having from Eternity equally purposed to give these Benefits to all the Elect. 2. The Lord Jesus Christ hath at his Death purchased the Pardon of Sin Justification and Eternal Life for all Believers God laid on him the Iniquities of us all Isa 53.4 5 6. Rom. 5.12 ad finem yet these purchased Priviledges are reserved for us not applied to us until we actually come to and believe in Christ John 3.36 He that believeth on the Son hath Everlasting Life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see Life 2. We are actually justified by Faith Rom. 5.1 Being justified by Faith we have Peace with God Rom. 3.28 A Man is justified by Faith without the Deeds of the Law Now if we are justified by Faith we are not justified before Faith nor without it the Being of Faith in the Soul being absolutely necessary to Justification 4. In Death we have a further Manifestation of our Justification when the Soul of a Believer appears at God's Bar 't is then acquitted and finds it self more immediately in the Arms of Mercy Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord they rest from their Labours and their Work do follow them 5. The Last and Great Day of Justification will be the Day of Judgment the Saints shall then by Jesus Christ himself be declared Just and Righteous before Angels and Men Mat. 25.34 Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you V. How we are justified by Faith The very Papists and the Rankest Arminian will not deny but own we are justified by Faith let them but Explain the Term Faith as they please Therefore it will be very necessary to shew how Faith justifies 1. Negatively We are not justified by Faith in a proper but in a figurative Sense not by Faith as it is a Work in us In this manner Papists Socinians and Arminians plead for Justification by Faith nay some would have Faith bear away the Bell and have the Honour of justifying us it is singled out by God from all other Graces and God of meer Mercy looks on Faith say some Faith and sincere Obedience to the Gospel say Others as if it were a Perfect and Legal Righteousness tho' they own this Acceptance to be of Grace But all this is nothing but Popery refined the Doctrine of Justification by Works dressed in neater Terms the Devices of Satan to darken and obscure the old Protestant Doctrine of Justification 2. Positively Faith justifies with respect to its Object Now the Object of Faith is 1. General The whole Word of God Historical Mandatory Promissory Monitory it looks at all the Parts of the Divine Law Thus Faith purifies the Heart produces Holy Obedience but in this sence Faith justifies not 2. Faith has a special and peculiar Object and that is the Promise or Covenant of Grace or rather Christ in the Promise thus Faith justifies as it looks to and eyes the Promises Faith is the Right Hand whereby we look unto Christ and receive Christ offered to us Now this Saving Faith has a twofold Act An Act ad Extra and an Act ad Intra Ad Extra it looks and puts forth Acts of true Evangelical Obedience Holiness of Heart and Life so it justifies not But Ad intra it looks to Christ and rests upon him alone in this Sence Faith justifies So that upon the whole we may say 1. That the Internal Moving Cause of our Justification is meer Grace Rom. 3.24 Being freely justified by his Grace 2. The External Moving Cause is Jesus Christ God-man who as Mediator hath purchased this Gift for us 3. The Material Cause is the Active and Passive Obedience of Christ whereby he both obeyed the Law and made Satisfaction for Sin 4. The Formal Cause is the Imputation of our Sins to Christ and his Righteousness to us 5. The External Instrumental Cause of Justification is the Gospel in which Christ and Justification by the Imputation of his Righteousness is revealed and offered to us 2 Cor. 5.22 6. The Internal Instrumental Cause is Faith which justifieth instrumentally as it apprehends Christ Thus we are said to be justified by Grace by Faith by Christ i. e. thro' God's Grace by Christ's Merits apprehended by Faith 7. The Declarative Cause of Justification is Good Works whereby our Faith is declared to be not a dead but a true and living Faith 8. The Final Cause of our Justification is the Glory of God and our own Salvation VI. Objections answered Object 1. If Christs Righteousness imputed be the only Cause of our Justification what need then of Repentance Holiness or New Obedience Answ 1. Repentance and true Holiness is by God himself made indispensably necessary to Salvation Acts 17.30 God commands all Men every where to repent And Heb. 12.14 Without Holiness no Man shall see God 2. I do not say Repentance Holiness and New Obedience are no Cause at all but they are neither the External nor Internal Moving Cause they are neither the Efficient Formal Instrumental Material or Meritorious Cause yet they are the Evidential or

Declarative Cause there being no other ordinary Way to evidence to our own Souls the Truth of our Faith and the Certainty of our Justification but by sincere Obedience and true Holiness Rom. 8.1 They that are in Christ walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit 3. 'T is very strange Persons can find no place for or reason of Holiness unless they must place them in Christ's Throne and make them their justifying Righteousness our Holiness does not merit Heaven but it makes us fit for it it does not give us a Title but it is our Evidence for Heaven Obj. 2. But does not this Doctrine of Justification by imputed Righteousnes introduce Carelesness for if we are justified by Christ's Obedience what need we be exact or careful about our own Obedience Answ Indeed this is an old Objection made against this Doctrine Rom. 6.1 Shall we continue in Sin that Grace may abound But 1. Consider Justification and Sanctification always go together to whomsoever Christ is made Righteousness To them is he made Sanctification also 1 Cor. 1.30 2. Nothing more engages the Soul to Christ and Holiness then a sence of Free-Grace in Justification Rom. 1.8 Obj. 3. This Doctrine of Justification by Christ's Righteousness imputed seems to dissolve the Law as if it did no longer oblige to Obedience Answ This is also an old Objection made against St. Paul's Preaching Rom. 3.31 Do we then make void the Law thro' Faith God forbid yea we rather establish the Law The Apostle's Answer is that the Doctrine of Justification by imputed Righteousness is so far from destroying the Law that it establishes it 1. The Law is established in Christ in that he has fulfilled the Law and that both in the perfect Holiness of his Life and also in the Sufferings and Satisfaction of his Death because Christ did all this as our Head and Representative and hence the Righteousness of the Law is said to be fulfilled in us Rom. 8.3 4. 2. The Law to a Believer is become void as to its being the Way of our Justification before God yet it is established as a Rule of Life We must obey it not to be justified by it but to testifie our Thankfulness to God not as a Cause but as an Evidence of our Justification not to give us a Title to Life but a Meetness for it Obj. 4. If we are righteous before God in the Righteousness of Christ then God sees no Sin in his People Answ True God sees not Sin in a Saint with a Vindictive Eye he does not so see Sin in a justified Person as to revoke their Justification and condemn them for it Rom. 8.1 No Condemnation to them that are in Christ But with an intuitive Eye God doth both see and punish Sin in his own People Psal 89.30 31 32 33 34. Obj. 5. This Doctrine of Justification by imputed Righteousness is a Doctrine very pleasing to Flesh and Blood every Carnal Man will be glad of it because he need not be much concerned about his own Righteousness c. Answ There is no Doctrine in the Bible more contrary to Flesh and Blood than this is Rom. 10.3 The Jews could not submit to it it 's Foolishness to Carnal Men Flesh and Blood is for Setting up something of its own to be justified by no Doctrine doth so empty the Creature as this does it makes Men abhor themselves and renounce their own Righteousness and make Christ all in all Phil. 3.6 7 8. Obj. 6. The Scripture every where attributes our Justification to the Death and Blood of Christ therefore not to his Active Obedience as you do Answ 1. 'T is true Mention is frequently made of the Death and Sufferings of Christ as the Cause of our Justification and Salvation but the Blood and Sufferings of Christ are mentioned not with a Design to exclude Christ's Active Obedience but Synecdochically Pars pro toto a Part for the whole for where only mention is made of the Blood of Christ as Eph. 1.7 all that Christ did and suffered is to be understood Christ shedding his Blood being the concluding Act includes all the rest 2. We find Justification attributed frequently to his Active as well as to his Passive Obedience as Rom. 8.3 4. where Christ's Active as well as his Passive Obedience is mentioned c. 3. The Person of Christ is the Object of justifying Faith we must not look altogether it Christ's Holy Life or bitter Sufferings but at both as 1 Pet. 1.19 The precious Blood of Christ there is his Passive As a Lamb without Blemish there is his Active Obedience we were under the Curse of the Law Christ's passive Obedience frees us from that Also we want Conformity to the Law Christ's Active Obedience is our Legal Righteousness Obj. 7. The wretched Socinian objects against all this That we need no Satisfaction at all but are saved by meer Sovereign Mercy Answ 1. The Old Testament Believers were not so distinct as to the way of Salvation by a Satisfaction as we now are in the Days of the Gospel tho' this was not unknown to them as is evident by Psal 51. and Isa 53. All their bloody Oblations plainly pointed to a Satisfaction but the Gospel way of Salvation not being yet revealed in that Brightness it was afterwards to be Old Testament Believers spake more darkly and generally but when they speak of Salvation by Mercy and Grace they mean the Gospel way of Salvation which being now clearly revealed and fully opened is in the New Testament generally called Redemption by the Blood of Christ That he is a Propitiation for our Sins 1 Joh. 2.1 2. And if the Harmony of the Divine Attributes be consulted we shall find that God is just as well as meriful and will by no means clear the guilty The Sinner of an hundred Years old shall be accursed the Justice of God calls for a Satisfaction and indeed when we consider that the very Strain of the New Testament runs so much upon Exalting the Free-Grace of God in Christ that We have Redemption thro' his Blood Eph. 1.7 that The Lord has laid upon him the Iniquity of us all That By his Stripes we are healed Isa 53.4 5 6. We must fling away our Bibles and renounce the Christian Religion nay all Hopes of Eternal Life if we let go the Doctrine of Satisfaction APPLICATION Is this so That it is the Character of justified Believers to acknowledge that that Righteousness whereby they are justified is in the Lord not in themselves We may make a Threefold Use of it 1. By way of INFORMATION 2. CAUTION 3. EXAMINATION 1. By way of INFORMATION in these Ten Things 1. If this be so then it informs us how sincere and right Protestants may be discerned and distinguished from Popish Socinians Arminians Quakers and the whole Tribe of Hetrodox Persons the Name Protestant was given to the Professors in Germany in Luther's Time for protesting against the Errors of Popery