Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	justification_n	justify_v	sanctification_n	1,666	5	10.7958	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31347	A Catholick pill to purge popery with a preparatory preface, obviating the growing malignity of popery against Catholick Christianity / by a true son of the Catholick apostolick church.	True son of the Catholick apostolick church.	1677 (1677)	Wing C1495; ESTC R15262	39,661	102

whom the debt is due so none can forgive sins but God only against whom the sin is committed Psal 51.4 The power of binding and loosing committed to the Apostles and Ministers of the Word is by declaring the will and pleasure of God out of his Word both to pronounce forgiveness of sins to all that are truly penitent and the retaining of them to the impenitent The Pope and his Clergy are never able to prove themselves to be the true Ministers of Christ and they cannot so much as challenge this latter authority and power to themselves much less the former which is proper to God only The motive or impulsive cause which moved God to justifie us was not any thing in us but only the grace of God that is the free good will and pleasure of God Rom. 3.24 Ephes 2.8 Tit. 3.5 7. They teach that we are not justified by grace only but by works also that is by the merit of our works And to this end they have of late years devised a first and second Justification The first is when a sinner of an evil man is made a good man and this they say cometh only of Gods mercy by the merit of Christ The second is when one of a good or just man is made better and more just and this proceedeth from works But we are to know that there are not two kinds of justification a first and second but one and the same justification considered in different respects In respect of Gods actual acceptation of a mans person justification is absolute but in respect of the actual application and manifestation of Gods acceptation unto a mans conscience justication is by parts and degrees Master Scudder on the Lords Prayer pag. 303. to 390. And further we are to note that the Papists second justification is no other then sanctification which is an effect and fruit of justification the which is imperfect and not able to justifie us before God The material cause of our justification is the active and passive righteousness and obedience of Jesus Christ his inherent holiness his fulfilling of the Law his death sacrifice and full satisfaction The formal cause or the form of justification is the righteousness of Christ imputed of God unto us Rom. 5.19 Rom. 4 5 6 7 8. 1 Cor. 1.30 2 Cor. 5.19 21. Phil. 3.9 The Papists deride this doctine that Men are justified by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ which righteousness is not in us but in Christ The Rhemists call it a new no justice a phantastical apprehension of that which is not Rhem. on Rom. 3. Sect. 7. They hold them accursed that so affirm and teach And they teach that the only formal cause of our justification is the justice of God whereby we are not reputed and accounted just but are made just ind●●d and this 〈◊〉 is that which every man hath within himself and is inherent in him Concil Trid. Sess 6. cap. 10 113 Rhem. on Phil. chap. 3 Sect. 3. The instrumental cause of justification on our part 〈◊〉 true and lively faith whereby we receive and apply unto our selves the mercy of God Christ Jesus and all his benefits resting upon him alo●● for salvation They teach that saith doth not justifie as an instrument in apprehending the righteousness of Christ but as a proper and true cause is actually justifieth by the dignity worthiness and meritorious work thereof Bellar. l. 1. de ●u●●●cat cap. 17. They teach also that saith is not the only cause of our justification but that there are oth●r also as hope charity 〈◊〉 deeds and other vertues yea they say that works are more 〈◊〉 then faith in the matter of justification and pronounce him 〈◊〉 that shall say a 〈…〉 justified only by faith Rhem. 〈◊〉 Rom 8. Sect. 6. and 〈◊〉 J●m 2. Sect. 7. B●●● l. 〈◊〉 de J●●●● c. 13. ●●●●l ●●il Se●● 〈◊〉 C●n. 9. These and other s●●h like th●●g they 〈◊〉 contrary to the Doctrine of j●s●●fi●ation which is a 〈◊〉 ground of Religion And if therewere no more points of difference between us these were sufficient to keep us from uniting of our Religions for hereby the Church of Rome doth raze the very foundation C. You said before that we are justified freely I would know how this can be if we be justified by the righteousness and for the merit of Christ M. Because the Decree of God the Father for our Redemption is free and we pay nothing again to God of our own And therefore by the word freely our merits are excluded but not Christs By which it appeareth that in respect of our selves we are justified freely of Gods meer mercy and grace without any respect of our own righteousness or worthiness but yet through Christ and for his righteousness and obedience imputed to us both which are signified by the Apostle Rom. 3.23 24. C. Shew me I pray you what is meant by Merit what the Doctrine of the Papists is concerning merit and whether that our works be meritorious or no. M. By Merit we understand any thing or any work whereby Gods favor and life everlasting is procured and that for the dignity and excellency of the work or thing done Now the true merit whereby we look to attain the favor of God and life everlasting is to be found in the person of Christ alone in whom God ●s well pleased The Papists make two kinds of merit the merit of the person and the merit of the work The merit of the person is as they say a dignity in the person whereby it is worthy of life everlasting The merit of the work is a dignity or excellency in the work whereby it is made fit and enabled to deserve a life everlasting for the doer of the work See Rhem. on Rom. 8. Sect. 5. We now do renounce our own personal merits and all merit of our own works and rely only upon the merits of Christ and we hold that no works of ours can merit That no man by any works of his can merit may be proved by the properties and conditions that must be in a work meritorious and they are five First the work must be absolutely perfect but all our works are unperfect as well in parts as in degrees of accomplishment In parts because we omit many things which the Law prescribeth and do many evil things which the Law prohibiteth In deg●ees because the works of the Saints are unc●e●n Esay 46.6 Phil. 3.8 Secondly a man must do the work of himself and by himself for if it be done by th● help of another the merit doth not properly belong to the doer But the good works which we do are not ours but are wrought by God in us Thirdly a man must do the work of his own free-will and pleasure not of due debt for when we do that which we are bound to do we do no more but our duty But whatsoever we do we do it as poor debtors we are miserable Bankrupts