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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	formal_a	justification_n	righteousness_n	6,175	5	8.2431	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47599	The marrow of true justification, or, Justification without works containing the substance of two sermons lately preached on Rom. 4:5 ... : wherein the nature of justification is opened, as it hath been formerly asserted by all sound Protestants, and the present prevailing errors against the said doctrine detected / by Benjamin Keach ...	Keach, Benjamin, 1640-1704.	1692 (1692)	Wing K76; ESTC R18579	45,425	50

which the Apostle preaches you must come to Christ believe on Christ as Sinners as Ungodly ones and not as Righteous not as Saints and Holy persons The whole need not a Physician but they that are sick The Thief on the Cross as a Sinner cry'd out Lord remember me c. and the Jaylor as a Sinner cry'd out Sirs what must I do to be saved So much as to the Explanation of the Terms of the Text in which you have three parts 1. A Negative Proposition But to him that worketh not 2. An Affirmative Proposition But believeth on him that justifies the ungodly 3. The Conclusion from hence His faith is counted or imputed for Righteousness The Observations I shall take notice of from the Words shall be but two 1 Doct. That all Works done by the Creature are quite excluded in point of Justification of a Sinner in the sight of God 2. Doct. That Justification is wholly of the free Grace of God through the Imputation of the perfect Righteousness of Jesus Christ by Faith I purpose to begin with the first of these Points of Doctrine and then come to speak to the second 1. But before I proceed I shall shew you divers false and erroneous Principles which Men have sucked in in and about the great Doctrine of Justification 2. I shall then prove the Point viz. That all Works done by the Creature are quite excluded in point of Justification of a Sinner in God's sight 1. I shall begin with the Papists who hold that Men are Justified by inherent Righteousness by Good Works and not by Faith only affirming Good Works to be meritorious or that Men thereby deserve Eternal Life nay ●hat a Man may perfectly fulfil the Law of God though he cannot live without Sin But to mend the matter Bellarmine's Argument is That Venial Sins of which he denies not that all are guilty yet they do not hinder a Man from ●eeping the Law perfectly The foolishness of which distinction is easily ●iscerned for if they be Sins which he calls Venial then they are the Transgression of the Law and he that transgresses the Law doth not keep it perfectly but contrariwise breaks it and so is accursed cast and condemned by 〈◊〉 But they affirm that a Man may not only by his Good Works merit for himself but also may do more than is commanded or may do Works of ●upererogation or do more than his Duty 2. The second sort I shall mention are the Socinians who deny the Deity of the Son of God and from hence deny also the Satisfaction of Christ because the latter depends upon the former It was from the dignity and excellency of Christ's Person he being God as well as Man that his Sacrifice ●ad such infinite value and worth in it that by one single payment as I may 〈◊〉 say he made such a full compensation to the Law and Justice of God But ●●ey erring in those two grand Points of Christian Religion run into the ●hird and deny the imputation of Christ's Personal righteousness to us in ●ustification And indeed it seems to me that this sort of Men assert that Justification of the Sinner is nothing more than God's pardoning him freely by ●is Mercy and that only as a simple act of his own Mercy and Grace without ●espect had to the Satisfaction made for our Sins by Jesus Christ by which act of God's pardoning Grace they affirm the guilt of Sin that binds the Sinner ●ver to punishment is taken off and so he is acquitted and delivered from Eternal Wrath but could this be admitted which they affirm why should God ●end his beloved Son into the World to be a Sacrifice for Sin For could not God without that Glorious Fruit of his infinite Goodness have pardoned and acquitted us and never have suffered his Son to have underwent such pain and ●orrow for us which indeed he did 3. Another sort there be which are those called Arminians of which ●here are many of late Times I find one of them does affirm That though the Works of the Law are excluded from justifying the Sinner in the sight of God yet Gospel Works are not So that they ●nclude Love to God Acts of Mercy and other Gospel Duties and Obedience in ●oint of Justification as well as Faith or joyn Good Works done under the Gospel and Faith together and this plainly appears by what Mr. William Allen hath wrote in his Book called A Glass of Justification See p. 18. These are his Words viz. It is no where neither in Words nor Sence said but he that ●oveth not but believeth on him that Justifieth 〈◊〉 Vngodly his Faith is counted to him for righteousness Sure this Man forgot that Love to God was one great thing the Law commanded Were not the Israelites or the People of the Jews under the Law to do all they did in Love to God Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy strength c. He proceeds to blame our Protestant Writers in asserting Justification by Faith alone without Works Brethren although we do not oppose Faith to Love as if Faith that is of the right Kind can be without Love to God yet we say 't is Faith and not Works not love nor Deeds of Mercy nor any other Gospel Duties or Obedience that is counted to us for righteousness And why to Faith only Because that Grace only carries us out of our selves to another for righteousness i. e. to Jesus Christ 4. The same sort affirm Faith doth Justifie the Sinner as far as I can gather as it is the act of the Creature God accepting of that internal act of the Soul according to his good pleasure to Justification not having respect so to the Object of Faith as that the matter thereof is Christ perfect righteousness and the form or formal Cause of it the Imputation thereof to such who believe in Jesus but that it hath pleased God to appoint or ordain Faith in respect of it self to that end and purpose namely to Justifie the Sinner Of this sort are the Dutch Arminians in pursuance of their main Doctrine of Free Will they exalt Man's Works and therefore affirm that he is Justified not by Christ's righteousness but by his own Faith God having required of him instead of full Obedience to the Law of Works that now he should believe on his Son and that for so doing he should be Justified and saved as he should have been before for perfect Obedience So that with this sort as one observes Faith is that righteousness for which we are Justified before God Moreover they tell us that Faith is a belief of the Truth of the Gospel so as to live according to it thus it includeth and not excludeth Works and that Faith and Works or Obedience to the Gospel is our righteousness for which we are Justified and saved At the same time you must remember that they do not

any should conceive God should give way to relax or abrogate the Law of perfect Obedience nay send his Son to do it and in its room bring in a Law for imperfect Obedience to justifie us as if he repented he ever gave it For by this means saith a learned Author God should lose much Honour in making this second Covenant and granting such easie Terms for there is no comparison betwixt perfect Obedience required by the Law and due to God as our Creator and that imperfect Obedience which is accepted by the Gospel neither in Quantity Quality nor Duration Here it is possible a Man may be converted at the last hour and saved though he have lived in Rebellion against God many years What little Honour or Service hath God from such a Man yea from the best Men who confess their righteousness to be as filthy rags in comparison of a sinless Nature and perfect Life in respect of all Duties Time and Place without mixture of any sinful Imperfections What should be the reason of this alteration If there had been a Law given which could have given Life verily righteousness should have been by the Law Gal. 3. 21. Could not Man keep the Law of Works then it seems the first Law was too strict This reflecteth upon the Wisdom and Justice of God It must be granted that perfect Man could observe a perfect Law had God pleased to give him Grace and Assistance sufficient to his State and Necessity and so there was no need the Law should be altered and the Obedience the Condition of it changed from perfect to imperfect For if perfect Man could not keep the Law of perfect Obedience with sufficient Grace How should sinful Man perform the Law of sincere Obedience having no more than sufficient Grace to assist him Did not God foreknow that Man would break the Law of Works and so was necessitated to make a New and more easie Law Or did not God both foreknow and permit the Fall of Man Or could he not have hindred it Why then should he give way to the abrogating the Command of perfect Obedience to bring in that of imperfect Surely as Augustine saith God is so Just that he can allow no Evil and so Good that he can permit no Evil except it be with design to bring greater Good out of it If God permitted the First Covenant to be broken that thereby he might abase Man and magnifie his own Grace and his Son in bestowing Heaven freely on him and in bringing him thither by the continued Power of pardoning and sanctifying Grace hereby indeed God doth 〈◊〉 advance his own Glory by the change of the Covenants But that the Condition of perfect Obedience being broke by Man's Sin the Law therefore should be dis-annulled and a new way of treating with Man set up wherein still Man should be something and his Works bring about his own Salvation and God be contented with few and very imperfect Acts of Obedience this certainly is a prejudice to his Honour nor doth this make it up i.e. That our Obedience is accepted for Christ's sake for Christ only made way for removing the Old Covenant say you and the granting a New but he did not obey in our stead nor doth add any Worth to our Obedience unless you will say that we are Justified by our own sincere Obedience the righteousness of Christ making up the defects of it and so our own righteousness will be a co-ordinate cause of our Justification with the righteousness of Christ we say When the Apostle saith By the Works of the Law no Flesh shall be Justified he doth not mean only the Law as in the Hands of Moses but also as it is a-new given forth by Jesus Christ for we are still under Obedience to the Moral Law the substance of which is to Love God and our Neighbour as our selves By the Law is meant that Rule of Life God hath given whether as written in the Heart or given by Moses or as given a-new by Christ as Rule of Life to us Lusts is a breach of Christ's Law or as the Law given by Christ as well as it was given by Moses no Man because a Sinner can be Justified by his own Works Righteousness or Obedience but all Men are Sinners whether Professors or Prophane Rom. 3. 23. As I said before he that is justified must be just or without Sin or have such a Righteousness imputed to him God will in no wise clear the guilty Exod. 34. 7. God is just as well as gracious Rom. 3. 26. he cannot suffer any wrong to be done to his Holy Law Consider the Purity of his Nature and Rectitude of his Will His Justice must be satisfied his Law fulfilled by us or by our Surety for us and will not abate a tittle of that Righteousness it doth require yet such is also his Goodness that what we could not do in keeping perfectly the Law he sent his Son in our Nature as our Surety and Representative to do it for us Rom. 8. 3. That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us that is in our Head who by Faith is ours and thus by Faith we do not make void the Law but establish it Is the Law rendred useless or of none effect by Faith Are we justified without regard had to the just Commands thereby required or without a Compensation made for the breach thereof Is it made void No God forbid saith the Apostle we establish the Law in as much as by Faith we get or attain to a perfect Righteousness even such a Righteousness as the Law requires by being Interested in the compleat and perfect Righteousness and Obedience of Christ to the Moral Law in whom every Type and Shadow of the Ceremonial Law and in whom each Promise and Prophecy is fulfilled also To close this take this Argument If we are justified by a compleat and perfect Righteousness then an imperfect though a sincere Righteousness doth not justifie us but we are justified by a compleat and perfect Righteousness Ergo Remember Sinners you are guilty and must be justified in a way of Righteousness as well as pardoned in a way of Sovereign Mercy that God might be just and the Justifier of them that believe in Jesus Rom. 3. 26. We can only be justified saith learned Leigh by that Righteousness which is universal and compleat Leigh's Body of Divinity p. 529. Our Obedience though sincere is not universal nor compleat therefore our sincere Obedience or Righteousness justifies us not in God's sight 5. All Works done by the Creature are excluded in point of Justification of the Sinner before God appears because Gospel-Justification is a great Mystery and the preaching of it counted Foolishness to the wise Men of this World to preach Christ and his Righteousness as that which justifies us they cannot understand Natural Light and Reason comprehends it not What must we be justified by the Obedience and Righteousness of

that justifies us from all things and that without any Works done by us either in respect of answering the Rules of Law or Gospel though never so sincerely performed All indeed that I can find he means is this i. e. That Christ's Merits are the Cause of the Gospel Rule and Promise and his Righteousness imputed is the Cause for which we are justified and saved when we have got new Hearts and answer the Rule of the Gospel in Holiness and sincere Obedience And thus though imperfect Obedience to the Law was Dogs meat yet imperfect Obedience to the Rule of the Gospel or Promise thereof if sincere is the Children's Bread nay that which they ought to seek Justification by and to desire to be found in If this Man's Doctrine may be received it should appear by him that Christ's Righteousness imputed and our Gospel-obedience mixt together justifies us But the chief part is our Conformity to the Rule of sincere Obedience and Christ's Righteousness cannot do by Faith alone without this of ours 2. But Soul know and be not deceived this Text hath always been urged by sound Protestant Writers as one of the Pillars of the Doctrine of Justification by the Righteousness of Christ applied by Faith alone St. Paul doth not only disclaim his Righteousness he had before Conversion or his Obedience to the Law in point of Justification but he speaks in the present Tense What things were gain to me those have I counted loss for Christ But that which he adds is more I do count all things loss He speaks as our Divines note of all both past long since and also now present whether Righteousness of his own in Obedience to the Law or Works done by him under the Gospel all he counted as dung in comparison of the Knowledge of Christ and his Righteousness or the Righteousness of God which is by Faith 3. 'T is to be noted how Mr. Williams and Bellarmine do jump together and agree in their Exposition of this Text The latter saith That by Righteousness which is of the Law are meant Works of Obedience done through the Knowledge of the Law by the only strength of natural Abilities before his Conversion To which Chemnitius and other Protestant Writers answer That Paul rejected not only his Works before his Conversion which he signifieth speaking of the time past v. 7. but also the Works of his present Condition yea doubtless and I do count all things but loss Mr. Williams saith They were the Jewish Privileges and that conceited Christless Righteousness which he once valued But saith he a Gospel-holiness is not here intended and that still by speaking in the present Tense Paul means what was past saith he Pray observe they both exclude the Righteousness of the Law done by natural or legal Abilities and they both agree to include an inherent Righteousness performed by gracious Assistance under the Gospel This Man is I hope no Papist though he strives 't is plain to maintain one of the grossest parts of Popery and that part God raised up holy Luther principally to detect Christians look about you for you are greatly concerned 4. Consider that the Apostle positively disclaims all Righteousness of Obedience done by the Creature in Justification before God and did relie on the Righteousness of God For if he sets our Righteousness or the Righteousness of the Creature in direct opposition to the Righteousness of God which is by Faith then that which is the Righteousness of God applied by Faith is not the Righteousness of the Creature though never so sincerely performed but the former is true Ergo 5. 'T is such a Righteousness Paul here intended that he desired to be found in both at Death and Judgment but durst he think you desire to be found in any Righteousness of his own at that Hour or in that great and dreadful Day As to this take what Reverend Downham and others say When a Man shall be summoned to appear before the Judgment-seat of God shall seriously consider with himself what he shall oppose to the Accusations of Satan to the Convictions of the Law to the Testimony of his own Conscience confessing himself to be a most wretched Sinner to the Judgment of God and most righteous Judge if he look back on his own Conversation as having nothing to trust to but his own Righteousness he shall find sufficient Master of Despair He may say with Anselm Terret me vita mea c. My Life doth terrifie me Alas what Man is fully able to say he is perfect or that he sincerely has done all his Duty in respect of that milder Law of Obedience which they talk of Sirs there is no way in order to Peace of Conscience for us but to do as Paul did i. e. renounce all our own inherent Righteousness and Obedience and fly to the Doctrine of Justification by the Grace of God through the compleat Righteousness of Jesus Christ received by Faith only For while a Man saith he retains this Opinion that he can be justified by his own Works or inherent Righteousness he can never be soundly persuaded that his Righteousness is sufficient for that purpose but hath just Cause not only to doubt but also to despair And this is the Cause of that Popish Opinion That no Man without special Revelation can be assured of the Remission of his Sins in this Life Downham●o● Just p. 202. Brethren some of the Papists themselves have on a Death-bed been forc'd to seek relief by renouncing all their own Works and Obedience under distress of Conscience and to fly to the Righteousness of Christ only they kept it close to themselves lest that gap being opened their Trade should fall to the ground as appears by the Answer of Stephen Gardyner to the Bishop of Chichester Foxe's Acts and Mon. Vol. 2. p. 46. Take two or three Arguments further here viz. 1. If that Righteousness which is the Righteousness of God which is by Faith in opposition to the Righteousness of the Creature doth justifie us then all Works done by the Creature are excluded in point of Justification in God's sight But the former is true Ergo all VVorks done by the Creature are excluded c. 2. If Paul nor no other Child of God durst or dare to be found in any Righteousness of their own at Death or Judgment then Works done by us or sincere Obedience justifie us not but the former is true therefore no Works of ours nor sincere Obedience doth justifie us in God's sight 3 Arg. That Doctrine that holds a Christian down under slavish Fear by grounding his Justification on his own Works of Holiness and sincere Obedience is not of God but the Doctrine of Justification by our own Work of Holiness or sincere Obedience holds a Christian down under slavish Fear by grounding his Justification on his Works of Holiness and sincere Obedience therefore that Doctrine is not of God Christians take heed what Books you read if you