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cause_n	good_a	justification_n	work_n	9,756	5	6.9844	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36551	A synopsis of Quakerism, or, A collection of the fundamental errors of the Quakers whereof these are a taste, viz. 1. That there are not three persons in the God-head, 2. That Christ did not make satisfaction for the sin of man, 3. That justification is not by imputed righteousness, 4. That our good works are the meritorious cause of our justification, 5. That a state of freedom from sin, is attainable in this life, 6. That there is a light in every man, sufficient to guide him to salvation, 7. That the Scripture is not the word of God, nor a standing rule of faith and life, 8. That there is no resurrection in the body, 9. That there's no need nor use of ordinances, baptisme, Lords Supper, &c. : collected out of their printed books : with a brief refutation of their most material arguments, (and particularly, W. Pens, in his late Sandy foundation shaken) and an essay towards the establishment of private Christians, in the truths opposed by those errors / by Tho. Danson ...	Danson, Thomas, d. 1694.	1668 (1668)	Wing D218; ESTC R8704	44,296	95

A SYNOPSIS OF QUAKERISM OR A Collection of the Fundamental ERROURS of the QUAKERS Whereof these are a Taste Viz. 1. That there are not Three Persons in the God-Head 2. That Christ did not make Satisfaction for the Sin of Man 3. That Justification is not by imputed Righteousness 4. That our good Works are the Meritorious Cause of our Justification 5. That a State of Freedom from Sin is attainable in this Life 6. That there is a Light in every Man sufficient to guide him to Salvation 7. That the Scripture is not the Word of God nor a standing Rule of Faith and Life 8. That there is no Resurrection of the Body 9. That there 's no need nor use of Ordinances Baptisme Lords Supper c. Collected out of their Printed Books With a Brief Refutation of their most material Arguments and particularly W. Pens in his late Sandy Foundation Shaken and an Essay towards the Establishment of private Christians in the Truths opposed by those Errours By Tho. Danson sometime Minister of the Gospel at Sandwich in Kent LONDON Printed in the Year 1668. To the Reader Reader THe late daring Pamphlet of W. P●n Intituled The Sandy Foundation Shaken wherein he hath attempted but with too Feeble an hand to shake the Rock Christ Jesus in his God-Head and Offices hath occasioned this Vndertakement Seeing God had left him to himself so farr as openly to vilifie Three Grand Truths I judge it not amiss to take this opportunity to mind the World how well he hath Imitated the Leaders of his Party in their respects to other like Truths that so the Christians of these Parts may no longer be Imposed upon by the Quakers seeming Innocence The most referd civil Heathens were given over to the most Fond and Beastly Errours about the Nature of God It was observed of many of our English Hereticks in Queen Elizabeth's dayes that they were Charitably Devout And you know many that look well in the Face have their Inwards Tainted and Decayed I presume Reader thou hast Read over the Frontispiece of this Book and then tell me what you think Do those Principles sound like Christian Doctrine Do you not think your Heart would give your Tongue the Lye if for fear of seeming riged you should venture to sa● of the Teachers of those Doctrines These are the Servants of the most High God who shew unto us the way of Salvation Acts 16. 17. Why then take heed how thou harkenest unto them unless thou art unconcerned in thy self and art indifferent whither Salvation or Damnation fall to thy share I am prevented in a serious Representation of the danger of these Errours by the Pains of my Worthy Friend Mr. Tho. Vincent The mention of whose name puts me in mind of a Query thou mayst make about my Answer to Pens Arguments why I do actum agere The Answer is I was Ingaged in a little Conference with the said Pen and he hath made some Reflections upon me in the same Piece which are not to be wholly neglected Again Experience hath shewn that there is a great difference in Intellectval Gusts The Method Phrafe Notions of scarce any one man are acceptable to all And a President is at hand Biddles 12. Arguments against the Holy Ghost's Deity were first answered by the Learned Estwick and then by the Learned Pool and both to good purpose I hope not without success And if any Quaker shall demand why I do not answer Sam. Fishers Book against me instead of Writing against a new Man I answer that I am guided in my Neglect by the Judgment of ubler Persons than my self that that Book is but a bundle of Impertinent Cavils and none of my Arguments is shaken by his Batteries and that to answer it were but Horas bonas male collocare to spend time with Domitian in catching of Flies I shall only leave two words of Advice with thee and so we will part 1. Be at some pains to understand the positive Grounds of the great Truths opposed by the Quakers Remember that Wisdom is Silver and a Treasure not only for its Excellency but also for the difficulty of Attainment Prov. 2. 4. It was the Observation of Min. Fel. Multi ob●aedium investigandae veritatis divert●nt in proximos Errores i. e. Many men through Impatience of the Pains they must be at to find out the Truth turn into the Errours next at hand As a weary Traveller takes up his Lodging not at the best but at the nearest Inn. Be not thou a new Instance to confirm that unhappy Observation For want of some pains many Christians are strangely Ignorant and through Ignorance uncertain like Glasses which may be blown into any shape you please or Weather-Cocks that are indifferent to any Point of the Heavens To lessen thy pains somewhat I have endeavoured to give thee the most material Arguments by which those Truths are supported in as plain and familiar a way as I could and as the Nature of the subjects would bear Particularly be at some pains to understand the right use of Reason about these sacred Mysteries Namely that it is not to judge of the Truth of the Propositions contained in the Scriptures but of their Connexion Take an Instance 1 Cor. 15. 13. If there be no Resurrection from the Dead then is Christ not risen The Propositions that the dead shall be raised and that Christ is raised from the dead are de fide or matters of Faith but the Connexion o● Consequence of the Apostle is evident to reason as depending upon that Maxime of Reason Sublato effect● tollicur causa Deny the effect and deny the cause if it be necessary and not an accidential Cause and like this if it be not day t is not Sun-rise And therefore 〈◊〉 Socinians who pretend that we are not to believe any thing to be of Divine Revelation which is not evident to our reason do discover but little of that reason which they would be thought to have Ingrossed to themselves For does not Reason tell us that the Nature and Works of God are above our reach And that God were not God if he could be comprehended by a Creature nor are the Creatures ad aequate effects of God their cause And indeed their Principle takes away the difference between Divine Knowledge and Faith Where is there any room for an assent to Truth Propter authoritatem revelantis upon the credit of Gods word if we are to believe nothing but what antecedently to Divine Revelation is evident to reason in its next causes or proper Effects Nor can I see what use Miracles can be of to a Socinian the Intendment of which is to inforce a belief of those Doctrines which are inevident to Reason It being a Principle which no man will contradict that God will not put the Seal of his Immediate Power to a Falsehood 2. Improve the Knowledge which you have I have often thought it a wise sober speech of

man is actually poor not worth a Groat but imputatively Rich as having by his Surety paid his debt of Thousands or to say the nine Men throughout a mutinous Army are actually Guilty and yet imputatively Innocent when the tenth man is admitted to sustain the punishment due to the rest Yet there 's not the like reason to say a man is actually Damned and imputatively Saved no more th●n to say a man is actually dead and imputatively alive for Imputation is an act of Law and makes only a relative not a real change as from being condemned to be justified not from being dead to be a alive W. P's Consequences are some the same with his Arguments as 1 2 3 6. and so answered already and the other three are co-incident upon the matter and the sum of them is that if we be justified by imputed Righteousness there is no need of Inherent Righteousness Answ There is no need of Inherent righteousness for Justification but yet there is need of it as to other ends as to make us meet for Heaven Col. 1. 12. The different use or need of imputed and personal Righteousness may be expressed by this Similitude I egitimation gives ● right in Law to our Parents estate The use of reason gives a natural capacity of injoying it Imputed Righteousness gives us a Title to the Heavenly Inheritance Inherent gives us a fitness for the enjoying of it it lying in communion with God without likeness of disposition there can be no liking of each other Errour 4. That our Good Works as they are wrought in the Spirit are a Meritorious or deserving Cause of our Justification Geo. Whitehead Voyce of Wisdom p. 19. Printed 1659. The Arguments I urge against this Errour are Three Arg. 1. OUr good Works fall short of the rule of Justification which is the whole Law Rom. 8. 3. What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the Flesh God sending his own Son c. The sum of the Verse is that Christ was sent to fulfull the Law for our Justification which we could not do our selves through our corruption which makes us as a verse so impotent to Obedience of the Law Arg. 2. That we should be justified by our good Works is inconsistent with the professed end of God in the way of our Justification which is that whosoever Glorieth may Glory in the Lord vers 31. Which Affirmative implies the Negative spoken of on another account vers 29. That no Flesh may Glory in his presence But if we be justified by our good Works all Glorying is not taken away from us as appears by Rom. 3. 27. Where is boasting then it is excluded By what Law of Works Nay but by the Law of Faith I mean and so does the Apostle such glorying or boasting as the creature is capable of The Apostle tells us indeed that if Abraham were justified by Works he hath whereof to Glory but not before God Rom. 4. 2. I suppose partly because all his strength and so proportionably any of ours so justified to do those Works was originally from God which consideration is suggested to check our boasting either of Gifts or Graces What hast thou that thou didst not receive now if thou did●t receive it why dost thou Glory as if thou hadst not received it 1 Cor. 4. 7. And partly because we have an immediate dependance upon God in our Operations John 15. 5. Without me ye can do nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Seorsima me separate or apart from me rela●ing to that mystical Union between Christ and his People whereby their dependance upon him in all the good they do is as neer and intimate as that of the Branches upon the Vine by vertue of their natural Union in the bearing any Fruit. So the 4 verse states the Comparison As the Branch cannot bear Fruit of it self except it abide in the Vine no more can ●ee except ye abide in me 3. There is no natural Equivalency between our good Works and a Reward as there seem● to be between our Evil Works and Punishment though the Law had expressed no penalty What boasting then you will ask is the Creature capable of and hath he ground for in Justification by his own good Works or Righteousness I answer That there comes nothing as the reason or Me●itorious Cause of the reward promised between the promise of Reward to our Good Works and the performance of it but the goodness of our Works or their conformity to the rule the Law of God The truth of this will appear if we compare the Tenor of the Covenant of Works and Grace Gal. 3. That no man is justified by the Law in the sight of God is evident For the just shall live by Faith and the Law is not of Faith but the man that doth them i. e. the many things contained in the Law shall live in them vers 11. 12. T is evident to any attentive Reader that a comparison is here made between the two Covenants in point of Justification and their difference lies in this that in the one the doe● of the Law lives in o● by it but the just Evangelically lives by Faith not by Faith as a Work for considered as such Faith being opposed to the deeds of the Law is opposed to and excludes it self but Faith i● metonymically put for its object Christ closed with for Justification or Righteousness of Christ made ours by Faith called therefore ●● Righteousness through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith viz. in respect of the actual Collation or bestowing of it not of the Provision or Preparation of it for that is before Faith Phil. 3. 9. And because God designs to take away glorying in Justification Faith in God through the Messias is called a Walking humbly with God Micah 6. 8. That it does relate to the Law of Faith and but only by consequence if at all not di●ectly to the Law of Providence or Submission to afflictions I am induced to believe upon these two grounds 1. Because otherwise God returns no answer which be seems plainly to designe to the Query what the Lo●d will be pleased with or what Satisfaction shall be given him for Israels sin which is the sum of the Questions vers 7. Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousands of Rivers of Oyl Shall I give my first-Born for my Transgression the fruit of my Body for the Sin of my Soul But understanding it thus there is a plain Answer viz. I do not expect any Righteousness of thy gift but of thy acceptance or thus I shall not be pleased with any Righteousness which thou bringest unless it be what I have first bestowed on thee by Faith 2. The Pride of mans heart makes him as loath to accept of a Righteousness freely offered him as to acce●t of the punishment of his Iniquity justly afflicted It makes him as loath to part with

the priviledge he had in the Old Covenant as he that hath set up for himself som● time is to turn an Apprentice and therefore t is as true an act of Humility to accept of Gods Righteousness as of his Chastisments for Sin Arg. 3. If Righteousness were by the Law i e. by our personal Obedience to it then Christ died in vain they are the Apostles own Words Gal. 2 21. which we may make a perfect Hypothetical Syllogisme by adding the Minor But Christ died not in vain and the Conclusion therefore Righteousness comes not by the Law The reason of the Consequence in the Major which the Apostle affords us is because the end of Christs Death was to provide us a Righteousness to be tendred to God acceptance and which supposing the Covenant of Grace he neither would nor could refuse But if we have Righteousness sufficient for the end of Righteousness Justification the Righteousness provided by Christ comes a-day after the Fair as we say too late to bestead us Christ's end in his Death was to do that for us in point of Justification which we could not do for our selves as may well be inferred from the place touched at above Rom. 8. 3 4. The Scriptures they alledge are Arg. 1. James 2. 24. A man is justified by Works and not by Faith onely Answ If we take Justification in a proper sence for the Absolution or Acquitting of a Sinner this place would contradict that in Rom. 3. 28. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by Faith and not by the Deeds of the Law But there is alway a sweet consent though sometimes a seeming dissent between one Scripture and another I therefore distinguish between Justification as it imports the Absolution of a Sinner and as it imports the Approbation of a Believer I also distinguish the word Faith as it is taken for a living or for a dead Faith that is for the reality of Faith or the bare Prosession And then I answer that James tells us how a Man is declared or manifested to be a justified Person viz. not by a profession of Faith only but by Works also we are justified by Works as our Faith is made perfect by Works Jam. 2. 22. that is declaratively Faith is declared or evidenced to be perfect that is sincere and true by Works As the Tree is not made but shewn to be good by the Fruit it bears And hence t is said that Faith without Works is dead vers 20. It is so and appears to be so as the Tree that bears not at all And the scope of the place is to convince the Hypoc●ites that said they had Faith and had none as appears vers 14. and onward Whereas Paul in the other place Rom. 3. 28. shews u● how a Sinner is formally justified in the sight o● God viz. by a True Faith in Christ as will appear to him that observes vers 25. 26. where God is said to justifie him that believes in Jesus Whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood Arg. 2. Rom. 8. 2 4. The Law of the Spirit of lif● in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law 〈◊〉 Sin and Death That the Righteousness of the La● may be fulfilled in us who walk not after the Fles● but after the Spirit From the first of these verse● they conclude that we are made free Meritoriously by the Law of the Spirit in us from the Law of Sin and Death because it is the same Law of the Spirit of Life that is in Christ and the Saints From the second they observe tha● the Righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in th● Persons of the Saints Ans To the second Verse theirs cannot b● the meaning of the Text For supposing a sta●● of freedome from sin attainable in this life an● that by the Law of sin and death is meant only death the fruit of sin yet how can there be an● colour for merit of justification when the ver● priviledge of that state addes to those obligations by which all the service our capacity wil● extend to had been due to God if we had never sinned Two other Sences ind●ed the word● seem to learned Men not uncapable of 1. That the Apostle give● a reason of the connexion between justification and sanctification because the same Christ Jesus that justifies by his blood sanctifies by his spirit So Calvin c. in loc 2. That they contain the meritorious cause of that justification which is evidenced by an holy life viz the active obedience of Christ So Beza And to this I rather incline As for Ver. 4. some understand them to note this end of Christs sending into the World viz. that Gods righteous Laws might not be absolutely contemned and so given in vain but might be observed though imperfectly by believers Others of the imputation of Christs surety righteousness Fide jussoria justitia The Quakers to be sure mistakes for I shall shew under the next head no perfect personal righteousness is attainable in this life Arg. 3. If our evil works are the meritorious cause of our condemnation then our good works are the meritorious cause of our justification But the antecedent is true therefore the consequent S. Fishers dispute at Sandwich The consequence he proves from that Rule in Logick Contraria contrariorum ratio of contraries there is a contrary reason or consequence Ans We deny the consequence of the major 1. Because our good and our evil works are not perfectly contrary For our evil works are perfectly evil for malum fit ex quilibet defectu Any one defect makes our works evil but ou● good works are but imperfectly good For Bonum fit ex integris causis There must be a conformity in all respects to the Law to make our work● good For that Rule on which Fisher ground● his consequence holds only of immediate or perfect contraries not of mediate And so his consequence is but like this If cold Water will chil● a Man's body luke-warm Water will scald it 2. Because there is no condignity in our goo● works were they perfectly good There canno● be a proportion between a finite work and infinite reward 'T is true the Apostle says To him that worketh the reward is reckon'd not of grace but of debt Rom. 4. 4. But it is to be understood of a debt Ex pacto gratiae non ex operis dignitate due by promise not by any merit preceding the promise Arg. 4. Rom. 2. 13. Not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified Pen. p. 26. Ans The words give the reason of their perishing who had the Law viz. the Jews because God cannot justifie any on the terms of the old Covenant that do not perfectly fulfill it which the Jews were far enough from being able to do or indeed from indeavouring it They pleased themselves in their priviledges and external acts of

made of a Woman to redeem them that were under the Law Gal. 4. 4 5. which subjection to the precepts of the Law was penal as being a debasement of so great a person a strange metamorphosis of an absolute Soveraign into a subject And therefore 't is spoken of as a wonderful instance of condescention that he was not ashamed to call us brethren Heb. 2. 11. that is fellow-subjects for being one in nature with us he becomes one with us in an obligation to the same Law And if it be weighed the penal nature of what we call penalties or curses lies not barely in the smart of sense but in the brand of insamy thereby set upon us that we rec●ive the due reward of our deeds as the good thi●f gives us his sentiment of his own and fellows case Luke 23. 41. And seeing that Satisfaction in the eye of the Law is strictly not solutio ejusdem but tantidem not of what the letter of the Law requires but of somewhat equivalent therefore it may be made as well agendo as patiendo by doing as by suffering For some actions as they may be circumstantiated may be truly penal to the agent and so equivalent to the corporal punishment which the letter of the Law ex●cts and may be as proper for demonstration of justice maintaining the repute of the Law and example to others 2. Qu. What causality in respect of God's act of forgiveness Christ's obedience was capable of Answ Christ's obedience could satisfie God but in genere causae moralis sc impulsive vel meritoriae as a meritorious cause of which we say that movet aliquem ad talionem reddendam which moves another to recompence the act done by good or ill offices which we thus express popularly One good turn requires another Which kind of cause works on an agent and induces him to produce the effect And that it is such appears by comparing the causality of his obedience in respect of our impunity or freedome from punishment with the causality of sin in respect of punishment which in the latter induces God to punish in the sormer induces God to pardon I● it be said how can this be seeing nothing without God can be said to move him for then somewhat in God should b● an effect of the Creature and so the first cause should have some dependance upon the second which is absurd and impossible I answer There is no cause indeed of the will of God ex parte actus volendi as to the act it self of his will but there may be a cause ex parte volitorum as to the things will'd whence the Schools say Deus vult hoc esse propter hoc sed non propter hoc vult hoc i e. God wills one thing for another but why he Wills one thing for another there 's no cause to be assigned but his Will God wills the preaching of the Word for the production of faith as a means for its end but why he wills that connexion between them no reason can be given but his Will for he can work faith without it And so Christs obedience cannot properly work upon Gods will but if it have the causality of an impulsive cause attributed to it we must understand that properly those terms note but a connexion between means and end Christ's Obedience and the Sinners Pardon which having been joyned together in God's Decree cannot be put asunder in the Execution Quest How does it appear that Christ's Obedience had the Efficacy of a Meritorious Cau●e of our Forgiveness Answ 1. Those places which speak of the turning away of Divine Wrath by Christs Obedience which Wrath is but an Inclination to punish He Christ is a Propitiator for our sins 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Propitiatio 1 J●h 2. 2. It notes the Act of Appeasing and the means whereby God is Appeased Rom. 3. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Propitiatorium The Mercy Seat so rendred Heb. 2. the true as that was the Typical means of Attonement 2. It appears by those Scriptures which speak of Redemption or Freedom from deserved Punishment purchased by a price of Christs Laying-down 1 Pet. 18. 19. Ye were not Redeemed with Corruptible things as Silver and Gold but with the precious Blood of Christ Where the Antithesis cleerly imports that Christ's Blood is a True and Real Price and of far greater Value than Silver and Gold which Yet answer all things Eccles 10. 19. And it hath made a purchase of Freedom from Punishment for that is included in the Vain Conversation spoken of as an Effect in its Cause and elsewhere it is spoken of as a parcel of Christ's purchase Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath Redeemed us from the Curse of the Law 3. By those Scriptures which speak of a Substitution of Christ for us Mat. 20. 28. The Son of Man came to give his Life a Ransome for many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Res aut factum quo movetur qu●spiam ut aliquam Incommodo alioqui 〈…〉 liberari Patiatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which Preposition when applied to Persons Imports the Succession of one into the room of another so used Mat. 2. 22. and rendred in the room o● his Father 1 Tim. 2. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pret●●● Redemptionis a caunter Priae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Composition notes either Contrarietatem as in the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Antichrist i. e. one that opposeth Christ or it notes commut ●tionem an exchange of one for another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Notes something or Act whereby any one is moved to let him go free whom he hath advantage against 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Notes such a kind of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Compensation as in which the Deliver undergoes that Evil in kind or Equivalently which he that is delivered should have undergone And if the Word imports an Exchange from one Life to another then we conclude a Satisfaction from the Nature of the thing Either justly or unjustly we were to die not the latter for we had well deserved Death therefore the former And if Christ hath freed us from that Death we were justly obnoxious to what is that but what we call Satisfaction in the sence of the point in hand Quest 4. Whence Christ's Obedience had the Efficiency of a Meritorious Cause of our Forgiveness 1. It was a perfect Obedience 2 Cor. 5. Last he knew no sin i e. by Experience of the working of it in himself which Peter explains when he says He did no sin 1 Pet. 2. 22. Thence the Denomination given him An holy thing in his Conception Luke 1. 35. An Holy Child Acts 4. 27. After his Birth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and puer in the Three Learned Languages signifie a Child and sometimes a Servant perhaps because the Child is born a Subject to the parent Jure diving Naturali The Holy one of God ●n his Man-hood even by the Devils from whom that