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A57982 The tryal & triumph of faith: or, An exposition of the history of Christs dispossessing of the daughter of the woman of Canaan Delivered in sermons; in which are opened, the victory of faith; the condition of those that are tempted; the excellency of Jesus Christ and free-grace; and some speciall grounds and principles of libertinisme and antinomian errors, discovered by Samuel Rutherfurd, professor of divinity in the University of St. Andrews. Published by authority. Rutherford, Samuel, 1600?-1661. 1652 (1652) Wing R2397A; ESTC R203460 278,378 498

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by his efficacious Grace to will and to do as he hath promised Phil. 2.13 Ezek. 36.26.27 and the regenerate cannot sin at all because its the Lords fault God avert blasphemy that we sin for for without his giving of a new heart and his efficacious moving us to walk in his way to which God is tyed by Covenant Ezek. 36.27 Deut. 30.6 We cannot chuse but sin hence they teach we are not obliged to pray nor do we sin in not beleeving in not praying when the breath of the wind of the Holy Ghost doth not blow and act us to those holy duties Hence also it is taught That none are exhorted to beleeve but such whom we know to be the elect of God or to have his spirit in them effectually working Obj. 3. To do any thing in conscience to a commandement is to be under the Law and contrary to the Covenant of Grace ib. Er. 33. Ans. The Law of Grace or Gospel hath Commandements as Rom. 6.12 Let not sin raign therefore in your mortall bodies And this is backed with a reason taken from the promise of Grace v. 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under Grace so Phil. 2.12 Work out c. for vers 13. It s God who worketh in you Though we have no Physicall dominion over the assisting grace of God so as I can forceably command the winde of the Spirit to blow when I please yet have we a certain Morall Dominion by vertue of an Evangelick promise so as faith is to have influence in all acts of sanctification to look to the promise of assistance which he who cannot lie hath promised though he be not tied to my time and manner of working yet do I sin in not praying and in not believing even when his wind bloweth not Gods liberty and freedom of grace doth not destroy the Law of either works or grace and free me from a duty Object 4. Beleeving and obedience of Faith is but a consequent of the Covenant not an antecedent so I must beleeve upon other grounds but not in way of the condition of the Covenant for in that tenour I am to do nothing Ans. The Apostle Rom. 10. Expresly distinguisheth between the righteousnesse of the Law vers 5. Which requireth doing as a condition and the righteousnesse of faith ver 6. Which requireth believing ver 10. and Gal. 5.5 We through the spirit wait for the hope of righteousnesse through Faith nor can any have claim to the Covenant but such as beleeve Object 5. The covenant is Gods love to man to take him to himself and that before the children do good or ill and to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt Ans. The covenant is a fruit and effect of Gods love but it is not formally Gods love for because God loved Israel therefore did he enter in covenant with them Deut. 7.7 8. Ezech. 16.8 and Arminians expound that of Iacobs imbracing of the covenant by Faith and of Esaus rejecting of it through unbelief Whereas Paul speaketh of Iacob and Esau as they lay stated in the eye and view of God from eternity ere they were borne and had as yet neither done good nor ill Now the covenant of Grace or Gospel manifested to Iacob and Esau is not eternall but proposed to them after they are borne and when the offer of Christ in the Gospel is made and how could Esau ere he was born refuse the Gospel except you say he did evil before he did evil which is non-sense 2. Paul saith plainly To him that believeth is the work reckoned Object 6. Our act of believing is a work and no work can be a condition of the covenant of Grace yea Christ alone justifieth faith is not Christ nor any partner with him in the worke yea we are justified before we believe and Faith only serveth for the manifestation of justification to our conscience for we believe no lie when we believe we are justified but a truth then it must be true that we are justified before we believe Ans. 1. Christ alone as the meritorious cause justifieth and his imputed righteousnesse as the formall cause and this way Christ alone justifieth the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles and all believers ere they be born but this is but the fountain ready to wash but believe it Christ washeth not while we be foul he clotheth us not while we be naked he giveth not eye-salve while we be blinde nor gold while we be poor nor is his name our righteousnesse while we be sinners 1. Men not born cannot be the object of actuall righteousnesse the unborn childe needeth no actual application of Christs eye-salve of his gold and righteousnesse now justification is a real favour applyed to us in time just as sanctification in the new birth 1 Cor. 6.11 And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified then they were sometimes not washed 2. Poverty putteth beauty worth and a high price on Christ sense of sin saith O what can I give for precious Iesus Christ But his Father cannot sell him 2. Yet is Faith a palsie hand under Christ to receive him Ioh. 1.11 It s an Evangelick act and not a meer passion but of grace deputed to be a receiver a certain Inne keeper to lodge Christ and so Christ his alone doth not justi●ie us being meer Patients this is not to put Faith in the chair and Throne of Estate with Christ Faith giveth glory to Christ and taketh Grace as an almes but taketh no glory from him Rom. 4.20 But he was strong in the Faith giving glory to God We cannot be justified before we believe 1. We are damned before we believe he that believeth not is condemned already Iohn 3.2 He that is justified is glorified Rom. 8.30 and saved Mar. 16.16 3. We are borne and by nature the sons of wrath Ephes. 2.2 We our selves were sometime disobedient c. But he hath saved us v. 7. That being justified by his Grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternall life Rom. 7. Paul maketh clearly two different times and States of the Saints on v. 5. When we were in the flesh and the motions of sins which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death then our first husband the law was living and we under a mother and father that begat children to death and so we were justified v. 6. But now we are delivered from the Law and Rom. 6.14 Yea are not under the Law but under Grace when Christ our second husband marrieth the widow freed from her first husband the Law then are we under grace and justified and then new Lord new Law 4. By Faith we are only united to Christ possessed of him Christ dwelling in us Ephes. 3.17 Living in me by Faith Joh 11.26 Gal.
double Notion of justification as D. Abbot teacheth us There is a universall and prop●●●y so called justification There is a partiall and unproperly so called justification or give me leave to say There is a justification of the person of the estate or a justification repeated or rather a reiterated remission I doubt if it be called a justification The former justification doth include 1. The Act of Atonement made by Christ on the Crosse for all the sins of all the Elect of God past present and to come this Act is not tyed to believing nor are we properly justified in regard of this Act. But 2. There is a justification formall of which Paul speaketh Rom. 3. and 4. and Gal. 3 4 and 5. Chapters which goeth along in order of cause time and a required condition of apprehending Christs righteousnesse and this justification of the person while he believeth is but once done and that when the believer doth first lay hold on Christ and righteousnesse imputed in his blood There is 3. A remission and taking away of sin Now according to these are we to consider of doing away sin in a threefold Notion for though justification essentially include remission and pardon of sin yet every remission doth not include justification properly so called Asser. 2. This threefold taking away of sins I clear from the Scripture 1. Christ taketh away our sins on the Crosse causatively and by way of merit while as he suffereth for our sins on the Crosse So Joh. 1.29 Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world 1 Cor. 5.21 He was made sin for us Col. 2.14 Christ blotted out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to the Crosse. 1 Pet. 2.24 Who his own self bare our sins on the tree Isa. 53.10 He made his soul an offering for sin This Atonement of blood was typified in Aaaron who Lev. 16.20 21. was to lay both his hands on the head of the Live-goat and to confesse the sins of the people and did translate them off from the people so as the Goat was to bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited v. 22. Now this was the paying of a ransome for us and a legall translation of the eternall punishment of our sins but it is not justification nor ever called justification there is a sort of imputation of sin to Christ here and a summe paid for me but with leave no formall imputation no forinsecall and no personall Law-reckoning to me who am not yet born far lesse cited before a Tribunall and absolved from sin when Christ had compleatly paid this summe Christ was justified Legally as a publike person and all his seed fundamentally meritoriously causatively but not in their persons There is a second removall of sin and that is when the beleever is justified by faith Paul Rom. 4.6 Even as David saith he also describeth the blessednesse of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without works 7. saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered 8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sin This is the blessednesse of a man born living beleeving Now we say unproperly the heirs of a King not born are blessed Non entis nulla sunt accidentia So if Christs removall of sins on the Crosse were justification all Christs seed and we believers of the Gentiles who were not then born when Christ died should be blessed and justified before we be born Now in this which is formally the justification of the believing sinner the believers person is accepted reconciled justified and really translated by a Law-change from one state to another I mean not that there is a Physicall infusion of a new habit of sanctification and an expulsion of an old habit as Papists teach confounding regeneration or sanctification with justification But there is a reall change of the state of the person 1 Cor. 6.11 And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified c. then they were sometime not justified 2. There is here a reall removall of all sins and a pardon and relaxation from the eternall punishment of all sins as well of sins to come and not yet committed as of sins past present and already committed so as sins not yet committed shall no more involve the believer in the punishment of eternall wrath then sins past or present Yet 3. the sins not committed though virtually pardoned with correction and submission are not formally pardoned that which is not sin at all but only in a naked potency it must be pardoned only in that notion that it is a sin and not first formally remitted and then afterward committed yet it is paid for and the person freed from all actuall condemnation for it but with all conditionally and virtually so he believe in Christ and renew his repentance which graces God shall infallibly give him because the calling and gifts of God are without repentance And of this third removall of sin is that Petition that Christ hath taught justified persons to ask of God Forgive us our sins as we forgive them that sin against us And Nathan saith to David 2 Sam. 12.13 The Lord also hath put away thy sin thou shalt not die David before he contracted this horrible guilt of murther and adultery was a man according to Gods own heart and so his person was justified this way God daily taketh away sin Rom. 1.17 For therein is the righteousnesse of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written the just shall live by faith Now the life of faith justifying is not one single act of faith such as is at ou● first personall relative and universall absolution but the believer liveth by renewed and often repeated acts of faith such as is To walk from faith to faith The least faith even the Minimum quod sic doth justifie but the Gospel requireth a growth in faith In this sense remission is a continued and one prorogated act of free grace from our first moment of believing to the day of putting the crown on our head If any object that I am contrary to my self in that I sometimes did write that justification is a plenary Pardon in one indivisible act of all sins past present and to come and therefore sin cannot be oftner then once Pardoned If I should answer that the knowledge we have especially in so supernaturall a mystery is but the twilight or the day-Stars glimmering of sinfull men it might suffice but I judge that I speak nothing contrary to that Asser. 3. For two formall justifications of a Beleever I utterly deny which is that which Arminians presse not a little yea and the justification of the person and his acceptance in Gods favour is but one act I never fall from that acceptance
2.9.10 Heb. 1.5.13 There is promised to Christ a seed a willing people the ends of the earth for his inheritance Isa. 53.10 Psal. 110.2 Psal. 2.8 9. Christs locks and his hair are bushy and thick Cant. 5.11 He is not bald nor gray hair'd but he hath a seed like the Stars for multitude that no man can number Rev. 7.9 but all those hairs grow out of a head of gold and his off-spring of children is as numerous as the dew of the morning dawning Psal. 110.3 Mica 5.7 though the devils locks be more numerous but its wofull that Christ and his children standing upon Mount Sion being a huge Army and a pleasant sight yet thou art none of that numerous house all round about thee are graced of him and thou livest and diest in the house but lay not in the womb of the morning and shall not abide in the house with the sons But there be other promises which go along with Christ and his seed and these of two sorts Generall speciall generall the Mother Promise I will be thy God is made both to Christ Psal. 89.26 He shall cry to me thou art my Father my God Joh. 20.17 Psal. 22.1 And to us I will be your God how sweet is it that Christ having God to his Father by eternall birth-right would take a new Covenant-right to God for our cause Oh what a honour it is to be within the Covenant with the first heir Quest. But why are all the promises inclosed in this one I 'le be your God Ans. 1. Because as Christ hath Covenant-right to the Promises by this Mother right that God is his God by covenant so we first must have God under the relation of a God made ours in a Covenant a Father a Husband and then by Law all his are ours 2. Christ God is more then grace pardon holinesse then created glory as the Husband is excellenter then his Marriage Robe Bracelets Rings and we are to lay our love and faith principally upon the Father and the Son more then all created graces the Well and Fountain of Life is of more excellency then the streams and the Tree of Life then the Apples of the Tree of Life Christ himself the objective happinesse is far above a created and formall beatitude which issueth from him as the whole is excellenter then the part the cause then the effect Speciall Promises are made first to Christ and then by proportion to us and they be these 1. God promiseth to grace his Son above his fellows that he may die and suffer and merit to us grace answerable to this A new heart and a new spirit Jer. 32.39 Ezek. 36.26.27 For out of his fulnesse we receive and grace for grace Joh. 1.16 2. Justification is promised to Christ not personall as if he needed a pardon for sin but of his Cause there is a cautionary or Surety-righteousnesse due to the Surety when he hath paid the debt of the broken man and commeth out of prison free by Law so he came out of the Grave for our righteousnesse but having first the righteousnesse of his Cause in his own person Isaiah 50.8 He is neer that justifieth me saith Christ who shall contend with me 1 Tim. 3.16 Justified in the Spirit So have we Justification of our persons and Remission in his blood Eph. 1.7 and that by Covenant Jer. 31.32.33 3. Victory and dominion is promised to Christ Psal. 110.1.2 Psal. 89.21 c. 1 Cor. 15.25 He must raign till he put all his Enemies under his feet and victory over all our Enemies is promised to us Iohn 16.33 and 14.30 Rom. 6.14.15 Gal. 3.13 Col. 2.14.15 4. The Kingdom and glory is sought by Christ Ioh. 17. 5. from his Father then he had a word of Promise from his Father for it Philip. 2.9.10 and we have that also Luke 12.32 Ioh. 17.24 Ioh. 14.1.2.3 5. Christ had a word of Promise when he went down to the grave as some Favourite by Law goeth to Prison but hath in his bosome from his Prince a Bill of Grace that within three dayes he shall come out to enjoy all his wonted Honours and Court Psal. 16.10.11 so have we the like Ioh. 11.26 6.38.39 SERMON VIII THe condition of the covenant is Faith holiness and sanctification is the condition of Covenanters Gal. 4.21.22.23.24 Rom. 10.4.5.6.7 This do was the condition of the Covenant of Works This beleeve is the condition of this Covenant because Faith sendeth a person out of himself and taketh him off his own bottom that in Christ he may have his righteousnesse works is a more selfy condition and giveth therefore 2. lesse glory to God Faith holdeth forth God in Christ in the most lively and lovely properties of Free-grace mercy love transcendent hence a believer as such cannot possibly glory in himself all that Faith hath is by way of receiving and begging wise But some teach that this Covenant hath no condition at all So Dr. Crispe and other Libertines For this is an everlasting Covenant Man is not now so confirmed in grace but he may fail in beleeving and so soon as the Condition faileth the Covenant faileth as we see in the first Covenant Ans. 1. That we have no confirming grace to establish us to the day of Christ is to teach with some Familists that There is no grace in sound Believers different in kinde and nature from that grace which is in many Hypocrites Yea but the pure in spirit are blessed and shall see God Hypocrites are not so And what else is this but the Kings Road way to the Apostacy of the Saints if believers have not Christ for their undertaker to bring them to glory To intercede for them Heb. 2.10 Luk. 22.32.33 2. And though they believe not at the first hour yet this Gospel-Covenant is not frustrated even if poor souls beleeve at the eleventh hour the former Covenant leaveth sinners for the first breach with out remedy or hope of life by the tenour of the Law not so this Covenant Christ knocketh while his locks be wet with night rain Object 2. I will put my Law in your inward parts is no condition to be performed by us but by God only and so all the tie lieth upon God if God do not this as he promiseth Ier. 31. Must not the fault or failing be his who is tied in a covenant to perform his part doth it not Now this God promiseth Ier. 31. Heb. 8.10 Ezek. 36.26.27 Ans. Either doth God promise to give us Faith and to cause us to walk in his wayes Ezek. 36.26.27 and to circumcise our hearts to love the Lord. Deut. 30.6 which Arminians deny contrary to the clear day-light of Scripture or then when ever we sin who are under the Covenant of Grace by committing and acting works of the flesh and omitting to beleeve pray praise humble our souls for sin God is to be blamed who worketh not in us
It beleeveth Heaven and worketh Heaven 2. We often go on imagining that we are in a way of back-sliding deserted souls not conscious of the reflect acts of beleeving and longing for Christ think themselves Apostates when they are advancing in their way In great water-works where there be a great multitude of wheels the standing of some five or six is the advancing of the work in other twenty or forty wheels In desertion some wheels are at a stand and move not as often acts of feeling joy self-delight in the actuall beholding of Christ are at a stand and then it s thus I said I am cast out of his sight yet other wheels are moving as 1. Humble and base thoughts of himself 2. Broad and large thoughts of Christ and his grace 3. Hunger and longing for Christ. 4. Self diffidence is much 5. Care and love-sicknesse Saw you him whom my soul loveth is vehement 6. Sense of sin and of wants and spirituall poverty increaseth now 7. Sense of the misery of the combate is much more then before O miserable man that I am c. 8. Believing under hope and against hope is strongest now 9. There 's more tendernesse and humble fear now then before 10. A stronger resolution to entertain Christ more kindly when he shal return again in his fulnesse of presence 11. Sorrow that remembring he said My head is full of dew and my locks with the drops of the night Cant. 5.6 Yet the sleeping soul kept him at the door We are to adore that Dispensation who will have us not stepping one foot to Heaven but upon Grace and upon Graces charges he could make Saints to be sinlesse Angels But what haste We should then not yet being habituated with glory nor confirmed in Heaven think little of Christ. If we be so dependent on Christ we have not ended with all Law directions the Law standeth us yet in good use I mean when Christ hath made us and the Law friends and hath removed the curse and made the Beleever say O how love I thy Law Obj. Can you saith M. Toun separate the directing or commanding power of the Law from the condemning power of the Law can the Law speak to any but to those who are under the Law Is it Law at all if it condemn not Ans. Actuall condemnation may well be separated from the Law as a Lyon is a Lyon and yet being chained cannot actually devour To condemn may well be removed from the Law it could not condemn Adam before sin entred in the world it cannot condemne the Holy Elect and sinlesse Angels yet it had and hath a commanding and obliging power to command and direct both to condemn is accidentall to the Law as the state of sin is accidentall to man 2. The Law may speak by way of direction to Believers but cannot speak to them by way of actuall condemnation because Christ hath removed the curse Obj. 2. Holinesse and walking in the way of holinesse contributeth not one jot to Salvation as causes or as the way thereto Christ hath done that perfectly Ans. I pray you consider three things here 1. The Will of Gad to save yea and to justifie the ungodly 2. Ius the Law right to righteousnesse and salvation 3. Actuall salvation Christs merits are neither cause nor motive nor condition moving God to will to choose or ordain persons for glory this is an act of eternall election to glory which is not from Christs merits nor doth any externall work or condition either good or evill in Iacob or Esau or in the surety Christ move God to such an act of free libertie Libertines are ignorant in so speaking yea faith is no condition cause or motive of such a will 2. Christs merits not faith not holinesse in us must be the cause of our Law-right to righteousnesse and glory Christ his alone gave the price of Redemption for us no Garments were rolled in blood for a patent and right to Heaven but his only his alone trode the Wine-presse of Gods Wrath in those two notions works of holinesse have no footing in the work But 3. as touching actuall salvation the way to it is holinesse without which none can see God It s expresly commanded Be ye holy as I am holy 1 Pet. 1.19 20. and Rom. 6.21 But being now made free from sin and become servants to God ye have your fruit into holinesse and the end life everlasting 2 Pet. 1.10 If ye doe these things ye shall never fall for so an entrance shal be ministred unto you abundantly unto the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Rev. 2.7 To him that overcometh I will give to eat of the Tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradice of God Rev. 3.21 To him that overcometh wil I grant to sit with me in my Throne even as I also overcame and am set downe with my father on his Throne They answer overcoming is by faith But I reply Faith to Libertines is but a believing that Christ hath overcome in their person and place for faith is no more to them a condition or way to salvation then good works for Faith say they is not Christ Christ only is the way to Heaven but this were a vain promise if overcoming were not 1. A duty required of us in time upon the performance whereof we have an entrance made to life eternall 2. If overcoming be but only believing and so an act of the soul only those to whom the promise is made are to do no more but believe Christ hath overcome the persecuting world for them and yield and in profession deny the Faith and accept of conditions of life and so be foyled and yet claim right to the promise contrary to the intent of Christ Rev. 2.13 who commendeth Pergamus for not denying the Faith Now in all this as the walking in the way to a fair Palace to dwell in it in honour and happinesse cannot be the price the ransome the sum given to buy right to that place and to the honour and happinesse thereof so neither can our walking in the way to glory bee the price of glory Obj. 3. But we are saved by Christs merits before we can do any good works then good works cometh not to perfect and make up salvation Ans. So are we in regard of right of purchase saved before we beleeve yet that hindereth not but faith is a way to salvation 2. This concludeth that good works are no cause or way or meane of obtaining the right jus of purchase to Redemption which we yeeld but not that we are actually saved without walking in the way called the way of holines which the uncleane shall not passe over Esa. 35.8 Obj. 4. We are to do good works from the principle of the love of Christ constraining us not from the Law commanding or directing us Ans. 1. These are no way contrary the