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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	brethren_n	know_v	life_n	4,656	5	5.3920	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34599	A conference Mr. John Cotton held at Boston with the elders of New-England 1. concerning gracious conditions in the soule before faith, 2. evidencing justification by sanctification, 3. touching the active power of faith : twelve reasons against stinted forms of prayer and praise : together with the difference between the Christian and antichristian church / written by Francis Cornwell ...	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.; Cornwell, Francis.	1646 (1646)	Wing C6335; ESTC R17280	52,817	177

the assurance of faith of our justification doe spring from sight of sanctification it is by right of some promise made unto such a worke and the right which a man hath by promise to a worke maketh the assurance of the promise but debt unto him and then the promise is not sure unto him out of grace The fourth Argument If when the Lord declareth himselfe pacified toward us he utterly shames us and confounds us in the sight and sense of our unworthynesse and unrighteousnesse then he doth not give unto us our first assurance of the faith of our justification upon the sight and sense of sanctification But when the Lord declareth himself pacified towards us he doth utterly ashame us and confound us in the sight and sense of our unworthynesse and unrighteousnesse Therefore he doth not first give us assurance of the faith of our justification upon the sight and sense of our sanctification The consequence is plaine from the Law of Contraries For if the Lord shame us with a sight and sense of sinne hee doth not then first comfort and incourage us with the sight and sense of sanctification Minor is proved Ezek. 16. 63. Rom. 4. 5. Ezek. 16. 63. That thou maist remember and bee confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord God Rom 4. 5. To him that worketh not but beleeveth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is accounted for righteousnesse The fift Argument When sanctification is not evident it cannot be an evidence of justification But when Justification is hidden and doubtfull Sanctification is not evident Therefore Sanctification cannot be our first evidence of Justification Minor When Faith is hidden and doubtfull Sanctification is not evident But when Justification is hidden and doubtfull Faith is hidden and doubtfull Therefore when Justification is hidden and doubtfull Sanctification is not evident The first proofe of the Major If Faith be the evidence of things not seene then when Faith it selfe is hidden and doubtfull which maketh all things evident what can be cleare unto us But Faith is the evidence of things not seene Hebr. 11. 1. Therefore when Faith it selfe is hidden and doubtfull Sanctification cannot be evident The second proofe of the Major If no Sanctification be true and sincere but when it is wrought in faith then neither can it be evident But when it evidently appeareth to bee wrought in Faith Therefore when Faith is hidden and doubtfull Sanctification cannot be evident But no Sanctification is pure and sincere but when it is wrought in Faith nor cannot be evident but when it evidently appeareth to bee wrought in Faith Therefore when Faith is hidden and doubtfull Sanctification cannot be evident The sixth Argumont Such a Faith as a practicall Sillogisme can make is not a Faith wrought by the Lords Almighty power For though Sillogismus ●i●em facit yet such a faith is but an ●umane faith because the Conclusion followeth but from the strength of reasonings or reason not from the power of God by which alone Divine things are wrought Ephes ● 19. 20. Col. 2. 20. But the Faith which is wrought by a word and a worke and the light of a renewed Conscience without the witnesse of the spirit and ●efore it is such a Faith as a practi●all Sillogisme can make Therefore such a Faith as is wrought ●y a word and a worke or by the ●ight of a renewed Con●cience without the witnesse of the Spirit and ●efore it is not a Faith wrought by the Lords Almighty ●ower The proofe of the Minor From the condition of all these ●hree the Word the Work and the ●ight of a renewed Conscience they are all but created blessings and gifts There●ore cannot produce of themselves a word of Almighty power Because the Word without the Almighty power of the Spirit is but a dead Letter and the Work hath no more power then the Word nor so much neither For Faith cometh rather by hearing of a Word then by seeing of a Worke Rom. 10. 17. And the light of a renewed Conscience is a created gift of spirituall knowledge in the conscience 1 Iohn 2. ● Hereby we know that wee know him that we keepe his Commandements 1. John 3. 14. Wee know wee have passed from death to life because we love the Brethren Vers 19. Hereby we know we are of the 〈◊〉 No better Answer need to be expected then what Calvin hath given in the exposition of these Scriptures who thus expoundeth them Though every beleever hath the testimony of his Faith from his Workes yet that commeth in a posteriori probatione a latter or secondary proofe instead of a signe Therefore the assurance of Faith saith hee doth wholly reside in the grace of Christ and we must alwaies saith he remember that it is not from our love to the Brethren that we have the knowledge of our estate which the Apostle speaketh of as if from thence were fetched the assurance of salvation For surely wee doe not know by any other meanes that we are the Children of God but because hee sealeth unto our heart by his Spirit our adoption of us out of free-grace and we by faith receive the assured pledge of him given in Christs love Therefore as an addition or inferiour helpe for a prop unto faith not for a foundation to leane on Certaine it is that those which ●ohn writ unto were three sorts of ●en Old men Young men and Babes ●et there was none of them but did know their good estate by the knowledge of the Father before they knew their good estat by their brotherly love For even of Babe● he saith they knew the Father 1 Ioh● 2. 13. And therefore by the rule o● relation they knew their Son-ship● and adoption And if it should be asked how they knew it John telleth By the unction they had receive● from Christ ● Ioh. 2. 27. that is b● the spirit it selfe which taught them t● know all things which no created gifts of Sanctification could doe Even in nature children do● not first come to know their parents either by their lov● to their brethren or by their obedience to their parents but from their parents love descending on them So we loved him because he first loved us 1 Iohn 4. 19 Herein is love not that we loved God bu● that he loved us and sent his Son to bee● propitiation for e●r sins 1 Ioh. 4. 10. If Iohn could give sanctification fo● an evidence of adoption to such a knew their good estate before by the witnesse of the Spirit this were but to light a Candle unto the Sunne Whether were it more absurd to light a Candle unto the Sunne or to light a Candle to see to a mans eyes Now faith is instead of eyes unto the soule By Faith Abraham saw the day of Christ and rejoyced ●hough it were a farre off Ioh.

8. 56 The same Apostle saith that ●here bee six Witnesses that give ●ight and evidence unto our spiri●uall life in Christ of which three ●e in heaven and three on the earth ●nd the Spirit in both yet he did ●ot thinke it a vaine thing to give ●he water of Baptisme as out of ●he death and resurrection of Christ we receive the power to walk in new●esse of life Rom. 6. 3. 4. as a witnesse ●fter foure of the greater lights If you take Sanctification for a ●reated gift it is indeed but a Candle to the Sunne But when John ●aketh it but to confirme faith ●he meaneth then the Spirit of God beareth witnesse in it or else the testimony of sanctification though it be a divine gift or work yet it would not give a divine testimony nor increase divine faith for the heavens and earth are divine and supernaturall works yet they doe not give divine testimony of the Godhead unlesse the Spirit of God himself doe beare witnesse in them Therefore John giving sanctification for an evidence of a good estate to such as already knew it by the witnesse of the Spirit is not a lighting of a candle to the Sunne but as the setting up of another window though a lesser to convay the same Sun light into the house another way In 2 Pet. chap. 1. from verse 5. to 10. the Apostle exhorteth us by adding one gift of sanctification to another to make our calling and election sure Let Calvin answer for me This assurance saith hee whereof Peter speaketh by adding grace to grace is not in my judgement to be referred unto conscience as if the faithfull did thereby before God know themselves called and chosen but if any man will understand it of making of it sure before men there will be no absu●dity in this sense Neverthelesse it might be extended further that every one may be confirmed in their calling by their godly and holy life But that is a proofe not from ●he cause but from a signe and effect There be many conditionall promises in the Gospel which are made to the gifts and duties of sanctification which are all in vaine if poore drooping soules finding such gifts and duties of sanctification in themselves may not take comfort from them according to the promise The conditionall promises are made to poore drooping soules no● in respect of such conditions or as they are qualified with such gifts and duties of sanctification but in respect of their union with Christ to whom the promises belong Gal. 3. 26 28 29. The fruits of such an union with Christ such duties and gifts of sanctification be when they be sincere otherwise if the promises were made to such soules in respect of such conditions then the reward promised would belong unto them not of grace but of debt Rom. 4. 4. A promise made to any condition after it be made it becometh due debt to him in whomsoever such condition is to be found But therefore that such promises might be of grace they are made to us not as wee are indued with such and such conditions but as wee who have such and such conditions are united unto Christ Whence it is that such blessings offered in such promises as they are tendered to us in Christ so are they fulfilled to us in Christ Whereupon we look for the blessing not in our gifts and duties but in going still unto Christ for a clearer and fuller manifestation of him to us and of comfort in him As for example A thirsty soule to whom promise is made that hee shall be satisfied hee looketh not presently to be satisfied from his thirsting nor from any right his thirsting might give him in the promise but hee looketh to be satisfied by going unto Christ in drinking more abundantly of him by his Spirit as Christ himself directeth such drooping soules to doe and so we are to make use of such kind of promises Joh. 7. 37 38 39. No man can see his gifts and duties of sanctification in himselfe but hee must first have seen Christ by faith the Spirit of Christ enlightening his understanding in the knowledge of him As in case of mourning to which many promises are made No man can with Evangelicall repentance mourne over Christ and for himselfe untill the Spirit work faith and by faith beholding Christ hee hath seen him crucified and by him Zech. 12. 10. So then these conditions and the promises made to them doe not give us our first sight of Christ nor the first glymyse of light and comfort from him but rather our sight of Christ and some glympses of light and comfort from him doth beget such conditions in us Such conditionall promises are not in vain though poore drooping soules have found no comfort by them and though they cannot suck present comfort from them and from their good conditions accordingly to them Because these promises being discerned in a Covenant of free-grace made in Christ by them doe work if they were not wrought before or at least confirme such conditions in the soule As when God promised them to send a Redeemer out of Sion unto them which turne from transgression in Jacob Isai 59. 20. the Apostle expoundeth it That Christ shall come out of Sion and shall turne away transgression from Jacob which is as much as if hee should say He shall work that condition which the promise was made unto And this the Apostle maketh to be the meaning and the blessing of the promise according to the Covenant of grace Rom. 11. 26 27. The promises are not in vain to such soules in whom such good conditions are wrought because they direct them where they may find comfort and satisfying to their hearts desire to wit not by clearing their good conditions in themselves but by coming unto Christ and drinking a more full draught of his Spirit as Christ directeth thirsty soules to doe Joh. 7. 37. If any man thirst let him come to me and drink V. 38. Hee that beleeveth on me as the Scripture saith out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water V. 39. But this hee spake of the Spirit that they which beleeve on him shall receive But why may not the holy Spirit breathe his first comforts into our soules even on such conditions Is not this to limit the Spirit who is free and bloweth where hee listeth Joh. 3. 8. He doth not breathe his first comforts in such conditions because he listeth not it is not his good pleasure to give us our first comfort which is the comfort of our Justification from our owne righteousnesse before hee give us comfort in the righteousnesse of Christ The holy Spirit in all his dispensations to us ward delighteth to receive all from Christ rather then from us that so hee might glorifie Christ in us The Comforter whom I shall send to you hee shall glorifie me for hee shall receive of mine