Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	free_a	grace_n	love_n	2,934	5	6.6495	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85551	Truths victory against heresie; all sorts comprehended under these ten mentioned: 1. Papists, 2. Familists, 3. Arrians, 4. Arminians, 5. Anabaptists, 6. Separatists, 7. Antinomists, 8. Monarchists. 9. Millenarists, 10. Independents. As also a description of the truth, the Church of Christ, her present suffering estate for a short time yet to come; and the glory that followeth at the generall resurrection. / By I.G. a faithfull lover and obeyer of the truth. Imprimatur, John Downame.	Graunt, John, of Bucklersbury.	1645 (1645)	Wing G1597; Thomason E277_7; ESTC R200005	70,586	79

is justified before hee believes I will asswage the hardnesse of the question by the mildness of a comparison that which acquits and frees a malefactor is the sealed pardon of the King so likewise that which comforts and assures the penitent heart of mercy and forgiveness is the sealing witness which Gods Spirit beareth to or assureth the humble heart of the free Grace and love of God through Jesus Christ so that justifying faith to the sorrowfull sinner is as the sealed pardon to the malefactor and to this agrees the Scriptures Acts 10. 43. To him that is to Jesus Christ give all the Prophets witnesse that through his Name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins thus speaks Gods Word and not as you speak so that it cannot truly be said neither ought any dare so to preach that a man is justified before he believes nor that he believes before he be justified but that it is the same gift of Gods Spirit at one and the same time even then to believe our justification when he accepts us just in him that justifieth the ungodly and as it is given by the Holy Ghost to believe so it is continued maintained and increased by the same Spirit as the other spirituall gifts as hope love joy and patience are and whosoever doth receive the Spirit of adoption he hath with it the testimony of it which is justifying faith let us take heed wee do not separate that which God hath joyned together for that is directly against the commandment Matth. 9. 6. Let no man put asunder that which God hath joyned together and in vain doth that man argue to prove which is first in the Sun the heat or the light so vain it is in you to argue whether justification or faith be first for when or to whomsover God gives one he gives them both Rom. 3. 26. wherefore I retort your arguments thus If God give remission of sins to the penitent elect then the impenitent elect are not justified but hee gives remission of sins to the penitent elect Acts 2. 38. therefore none of Gods elect are justified before they are called and their sins remitted wherefore never hereafter teach your disciples that the elect of God are justified before they believe but learn to teach them to repent that their sins may be done away as the Apostle teacheth to life and salvation Act. 3. 19. and so St. John saith of the Jewes they did not repent that they might believe and consider our Lords doctrine to Nicodemus hee tells him not of his election although our Lord knew well that secret but hee preaches to him conversion Except a man be borne again he cannot see the kingdome of God Joh. 3. Regeneration must be sought for by the elect and by these effects and operations of the Holy Ghost to make sure to themselves their election this is Gods way prescribed in his Word And lest I fall into your error as I have briefly disproved your doctrine and discovered the falshood and mistie sophistrie of your arguments so now by the help of God I will lay down and confirm the truth it self how the Scriptures do speak of justifying and believing that so you may come to know that which hitherto I perceive you are very ignorant of Wherefore thus saith the Scriptures concerning justification We are justified freely by his grace saith the Apostle Rom. 3 24. Titus 3. 11. likewise that wee are justified by his blood that is by the blood of Christ Rom. 5. 9. and also that wee are justified by saith Rom. 3. 28. so then these three terms are to be considered in our justification the blood of Christ purchasing the grace and favour of God and an assurance of it given to the lost the dead the broken penitent mourning heart whereby though it be dead yet it is made to live the broken is healed the emptinesse is filled the thirstinesse is quenched comforted and refreshed with the favour and love of God in and through Jesus Christ justification then is the imputed righteousnesse of Christ assured and made known to the elect by faith and this doctrine is cleared by the Apostle beyond the least exception speaking of holy Abrahams justification and being fully assured saith hee Rom. 4. 21 24. that what God had promised hee was able to perform therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnesse Now it was not imputed for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if wee believe Observe first that the Apostle affirmeth justifying faith a full assurance for wee shall have occasion by and by to make use of this and secondly that the righteousnesse of Christ which is our justification is not given to us but by faith in these words to whom it shall be imputed if wee believe so that justification and justifying faith can no more be severed parted or divided then the light and the heat from the fire and to this purpose St. Paul calls Christ the just one and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus Rom. 3. 26. so that it is proved against all the Antinomians in the world that then and not before when God justifies his elect then and at that time he gives justifying faith Act. 13. 38 39. And as I promised before so I will here briefly shew the divers acceptations and distinctions of faith and three particulars do comprehend all other sorts and distinctions whatsoever Historicall faith to believe Gods Word the faith of miracles by which it is given to a Saint or a sinner to work this or that miracle so also in the third place the Scriptures speak of justifying faith of which it is said wee live by wee are comforted by through which wee are purified and justified and this sort of faith is called in Scriptures the faith of God the faith of Jesus the faith of Abraham the faith of Gods elect the faith that worketh by love the faith in the blood of Christ the faith accounted for righteousnesse the faith of the operation of God the most holy faith and may be thus defined that it is a full firm and certain trust or confidence written by the power and Spirit of God in the low humble penitent and broken-heart whereby it is given assuredly to believe that all his sins are forgiven and thus he is made one with God by reconciliation and atonement in and through the eternall and everlasting love of Jesus Christ the materiall cause of this justifying faith thus defined is a full sure and undoubted trust or confidence the formall cause is the free grace and favour of God the Father and of his Sonne Jesus Christ the efficient cause is the alone work of the holy Ghost thereby imprinting in and assuring of the hearts of the elect of this confidence of this grace and mercie the principall and finall cause is the glory of God and our Lord Jesus Christ and the end

the rule of Gods Word by expresse words or necessary consequence and therefore your separation from us is groundlesse and not warranted in the Scriptures for consider how the rule of truth would direct you and observe how it was with those that were effectually called by the ministery of John Baptist and our Lord himself and truly converted unto God from amongst the Jews in such times when those in the outward state of the Church were most corrupt for they preached for doctrine the commandments of men nor would not receive the truth themselves nor suffer such as would receive it against which doctrine our Lord exhorts his hearers to take heed and beware of the leven of the Pharisees but never taught the Disciples to separate from the Church of the Jewes nor to enter into a formed covenant among themselves as you do but on the contrarary hee commanded them to continue hearers and doers The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses chair or seat whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do c. Mat. 23. 2 3. And himself as his Disciples continued still repairing to the Temple and Synagogue and participated in the service and publike worship of God making no separation for when our Lord gave his account to the high Priest of his Disciples and doctrine Joh. 18. 19 20. he saith I ever taught in the Synagogue and in the Temple whither the Jewes alwayes resort and in secret have I said nothing And for the Apostles practice in many Churches mentioned in the Acts both in Judea and among the Gentiles therein is no separation in your sense spoken of although many things were reprovable and admonished against both in doctrine and practice the truth is the good seed in the field are the Saints the Church of Christ the tares the wicked but both must grow together in the same field till the harvest Matth. 13. 30. As the lilly growes amongst the thornes so the chaffe lies in the same floor with the wheat the Goats feed in the same pasture with the sheep and the crafty Wolves among the harmlesse lambs and cannot be separated till our Lord comes to judge and part them never again to participate afterwards together Heres I pray heare mee all those that have already spoke are old like their doctrine and it is high time their errors should be thus discovered but I pray take notice of mee for I have received a new cleare light of heavenly doctrine a light of free grace and justification in and by Christ from all eternity so that the elect cannot properly be said at any time to be unrighteous ungodly or unholy for they are justified before they beleeve even before the foundations of the world even then when God elected them Truth Free grace rightly understood as the Scriptures declare it is a heavenly and comfortable Doctrine but me thinkes by your confession you should be an Antinomian who speake very much of free grace but doe not at all understand it for they say the free grace of God towards his elect that are justified before the world was is like unto the Sun-beames in the morning when she rises that enlightens the dark earth in which there is no preparation to the enlightning so the Lord shines into the hearts of his elected justified ones in the very time of their wickedest workes of darknesse And then in the midst of their sinnes as in the very acts of adultery and murther even then God lifts up the light of his countenance upon them and gives them peace the effect of their justification with God from all eternity These slight and contemne repentance and call it a worke of the Law and the preparation to justifying faith they call a munkish Popish doctrine and their own fancie or presumptuous conceit they call that justifying faith or free grace by which say they the justified before God come to understand and know their justification from all eternity Oh what a grosse seducement and delusion is this even a generall mistake of the whole Gospel in every part of it Therefore now I will first shew you what free grace is which the Scripture sets forth to us And then shew you how clearly and fully Gods word declares the justifying the elect by faith in Jesus Christ Now this is a written and a certain truth that God loves his Israel his chosen freely Hosea 14. 4 5 6. I will heale their back-slidings saith the Lord I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from him I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall grow as the Lilly and cast forth his root as Lebanon Also it is written Ezek. 16. 6. When I saw thee polluted in thy own blood I said unto thee Live when thou wast in thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live and have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field Observe how abundantly the free grace of God is manifested to his elect that of themselves are quite contrary to deserving for they are polluted with the most abominable pollution and that is with blood and not a little but extreamly in the third degree blood three times repeated by the holy Ghost And that this threefold uncleannesse should bee washed and made pure and that this exceeding deadnesse should be made to live and so to live as the bud of the field to multiply and increase and bring forth fruit unto God and man even holy grapes to refresh the hearts of both this shewes the wonderfull freenesse of Gods grace so to love as there is none like it nor to be compared to it Now because you have spoken of this free grace in a fancy I shall endevour to shew it you in reality And that we may know the things that are freely given us of God 1 Cor. 2. 12. that is of his own will free grace and goodnesse and eternall love Let us consider it in these foure particulars which onely and alone are peculiar to the Saints and Church of God that is their election and predestination before all times their effectuall calling and justification in time and their eternal glorification for ever in the world to come which world shall be endlesse deathlesse and sinlesse for evermore And all these in all the causes the free grace of God And therefore it is said by S. Peter that the Saints and Church of God are elect according to the foreknowledg of God the Father 1 Pet. 1. 2. And S. Paul saith According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world Ephes. 1. 4. And the Apostle to the Church of Thessalonica testifies that God had from the beginning chosen them to salvation 2 Thess. 2. 13. so then it is cleare that the electare chosen in Christ to salvation Which secret purpose and foreknowledge of God towards his elect before all time is made good and effected in and upon his elect in all times being called