Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	abraham_n	believe_v	impute_v	7,639	5	9.9008	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51266	The grand inquiry who is the righteous man: or, The character of a true beleever in his approaches towards heaven. Whereunto is added The resolution of a case of separation betwixt man and wife, propounded to the author by a party much concerned. By William Moore rector at Whalley in Lancashire.	Moore, William, rector of Whalley, Lancashire.	1658 (1658)	Wing M2612; ESTC R214225	54,012	181

but a righteousnesse wrought for us not in our selves but in the Lord. In the Lord have I righteousnesse and in the Lord shall all Israel be justified Hence Jer. 23.6 This is his Name whereby he shall be called THE LORD OVR RIGHTEOUSNES And as it is the language of the Prophets so of the Apostles Hence is it that they call it the Righteousnesse of God Rom. 3.21 The righteousnesse of God without the Law is manifested V. 22. The righteousnesse of God which is by the Faith of Jesus And Phil. 3.9 The righteousnesse which is of God by Faith 2. That this Righteousnesse of God is received by Faith So the Apostle there explains it in Phil. 3.8 9. I count all things but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him not having mine own righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by Faith By Faith it is that we receive Christ Joh. 1.12 As many as received him to them he gave power to become the sons of God even to as many as believed on his Name To receive him and to believe on him is one and the same By faith we receive Christ so by faith we receive the righteousnesse of Christ And take notice of the manner how it is worthy your observation that you may know the nature of that Faith which justifies 1. We receive this righteousnesse into our heads hence knowing sometimes is set for believing Joh. 17.3 This is life eternal to know thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Then 2. We receive this righteousnesse into our hearts As we know it so we love it Hence that phrase Act. 15.9 Purifying their hearts by Faith And then 3 We receive this righteousnesse into our lives and conversations As we love it so in some measure we are transformed into it So the Apostle followes it Phil. 3.10 That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death Where there is a receiving of the righteousnesse of Christ by saith there is a conforming to the same likenesse For you must know that true faith is not an idle speculative notion of the brain but a powerful working grace upon the heart Faith is sometimes reckoned amongst the gifts of the Spirit 1 Cor. 12.9 And sometimes it is reckoned amongst the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5 22. Faith is sometimes a Gift and sometimes a Grace As it is a Gift so it is speculative and notional as it is a Grace so it is powerful and practical And this at once if righly understood easily reconciles St. Pauls conclusion That a man is justified by Faith without the deeds of the Law with that of St. James Ye see then how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only Not by faith which is alone but by a working Faith Though works be not the meritorious cause in point of justification but the righteousnesse of Christ received by faith yet this faith is working and it works this righteousnesse as into our heads so into our hearts and into our lives Though it be not this work of righteousnesse wrought in us that properly justifies but the righteousnesse of Christ wrought for us yet true justifying faith thus receives this righteousnesse 3. That this Faith thus receiving Christ is accounted unto us for righteousnesse God imputes that righteousnesse of Christ to us if we thus believe Jam. 2.23 Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousnesse and he was called the friend of God That righteousnesse whereby Abraham was justified in the sight of God it was a righteousnesse imputed Not a Putative righteousnesse as our Adversaries scornfully reproach it but a reall righteousnesse the righteousnesse of Christ yet an imputed righteousnesse So is that righteousnesse by which we are justified Rom. 4.23 It was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him who raised up Jesus from the dead We are justified in the same way and by the same faith that Abraham was Gal. 3.6 Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousnesse So it is with us Vers 7. They that are of the faith of Abraham are the children of Abraham Vers 9. They which be of the faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham What Abraham's faith was we read Heb. 11.7 Abraham when he was tryed by faith offered up Isaac and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from whence also he received him in a figure Did Abraham see no further then this figure Yes doubtlesse In this he beheld God sacrificing his own son on that very mount where he should have offered Isaac Isaac was but the Figure Christ is the Substance Saith our Saviour Joh. 8.56 Abraham rejoyced to see my day and he saw it and was glad And so all the Patriarchs 1 Cor. 10.4 They all did drink of the same spiritual drink for they drank of that rock that followed them and that rock was Christ They of that rock that followed them as we of that rock that is gone before us Abraham saw Christ with the eye of Faith and believed on him and testified his faith by his works faith working by love saith God Gen. 22.12 Now I know thou lovest me seeing thou hast not withheld thy son thine only son from me And this faith was counted unto him for righteousnesse Thus may you see what that righteousnesse is by which we stand justified in the sight of God It is not the righteousnesse of Works that exact unsinning obedience to the whole Law of God but it is the righteousnesse of Faith the righteousnesse of Christ received by faith which is accounted unto us for righteousnesse And thus you may easily resolve the Riddle How a man may be righteous and yet a sinner Though a sinner in himself in relation to the righteousnesse of Works yet without sin in Christ in relation to the righteousnesse of Faith the righteousnesse of Christ through faith imputed unto us for righteousnesse And this is that righteousnesse which intitles us to all the promises and gives us an interest in this joy of Saints 1 Pet. 1.8 Believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory But because this is a point of such high concernment for the further clearing of it a question must be here propounded How a man may be justified by the righteousnesse of another This is indeed the dark side of the cloud not to be discern'd with the eye of sense or reason Consult we with the sacred Oracles which cannot deceive us Rom. 4.5 6. To him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly

his faith is counted for righteousnesse Even as David also describeth the blessednesse of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without works There is an imputed righteousnesse a righteousnesse without works And if we believe on him there is one who justifies the ungodly and our faith is counted unto us for righteousnesse For the better understanding of this take notice 1. That Christ is become our Surety Heb. 7.22 He was made surety of a better Testament Now as the surety makes the debt his own so our sins are Christs Such was his singular love toward us that he was content to take all our sins upon himself 1 Pet. 2.24 He bare our sins in his own body on the tree It was love indeed A man void of understanding becometh surety for his friend saith Solomon And he that becomes a surety is insnared in the words of his own mouth Christ was content thus to become a fool thus to be taken thus to be insnared to become our surety As once Rebecca to her son On me be the curse my son so Christ here On me be the guilt of sin Or as Paul to Philemon in behalf of Onesimus If he have wronged thee or if he owe thee any thing set it on my score I will repay it I Paul have written it with mine own hand So Christ delivers his Epistle to the Father not under hand and seal but confirmed in his own bloud and he takes all our sins upon himself and writes them to his own account as no longer ours but his own 2. That God was content to accept him as our surety Here is no wrong to parties as Christ was content to undertake all for us so is God pleased to lay all our sins upon his shoulders Isa 53.6 The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all The Lord against whom the sin was committed he was contented to quit us and to put all upon Christs score so to receive the satisfaction at his hands Saith Christ when the souldiers came to apprehend him If ye seek me then let these men go Christ was content to be apprehended that we might be set at liberty and God was well pleas'd with this dismission So he hath put our sins upon Christs account 3. That Christ as our surety hath discharg'd the debt And a debt must not be twice paid that stands not with Gods justice Christ hath suffered for us Dan. 9.26 After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off but not for himself Not for himself but us By the way take we notice It was not properly Christs active obedience as some think by which we are made righteous for if that had been accounted unto us for righteousnesse it being a spotlesse and a perfect righteousnesse there had been no need of his death and passion I speak not this to create a controversie but to shew you If not the active obedience of our blessed Saviour then much lesse our own I confesse it was necessary to give way to his passion that it might be a satisfaction for had he been a sinner he could not have been a sacrifice for sin but first he must have satisfied for himself Yet it is his bloud which redeems us from our sins 1 Pet. 1.18 Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious bloud of Christ It is his bloud the bloud of him too scornfully reproached by some who dyed at Jerusalem though they make it but a figure and so shew themselves in the number of those damnable Hereticks 2 Pet. 2.1 Even denying the Lord that bought them Yet Col. 1.19 20. It pleased the father that in him should all fulnesse dwell and having made peace through the bloud of his Crosse by him to reconcile all things to himself By his Bloud upon the crosse we are reconciled and our peace is made by that bloud which was once shed and but once we need not a second sacrifice that unbloudy sacrifice in the Masse for that purpose Heb. 10.12 This man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sat down on the right hand of God And vers 14. By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified The bloud of this sacrifice thus once offered on the Crosse at Jerusalem is that which wipes off the score 1 Joh. 1.7 The bloud of Christ cleanseth from all sin 4. And ex abundanti That God will no more lay our sins unto our charge Isai 38.17 Thou hast cast all my sins behinde thy back So hath he blotted them out of his remembrance Isai 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgression for my own names sake and will not remember thy sins He crosses the book and not only so for that still is a Memorandum though the debt be paid but he quite blots it out that it may never be remembred any more And this is that which if understood clearly resolves the Riddle and dissolves the cloud It is indeed the marrow of the Gospell 2 Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them And herein consists the happinesse of the Saints on earth not that they have no sin but that God will not lay it to their charge Psal 32.1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity Thus I have shewed you that it is not the righteousness of Works for by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified but it is the righteousnesse of Faith the righteousness of Christ imputed Rom. 4.11 Abraham received the sign of circumcision a seal of the righteousnesse of Faith which he had being yet uncircumcised that he might be the father of all them that believe though they be not circumcised that righteousnesse might be imputed to them also And for the clearing of this you hear how Christ is become our surety He bare our sins that God is willing to receive the satisfaction at his hands He hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all That Christ hath discharg'd our debt He died for us and that God will not lay our sins unto our charge Thus then we appear as righteous in the sight of God Beloved I have stood the longer on this point as on the one hand to fill your hearts with peace and joy in believing that I might send you away as Philip did the Ethiopian Eunuch rejoycing on your way or as the shepherds glorifying and praising God for the things that ye have heard so on the other hand to convince gainsayers whilest they upbraid us that we leave the people in their sins and deny the perfection of the Saints and devest them of all righteousnesse Though we deny the righteousnesse of works the leaven of the Scribes and Pharises yet do we not shew you a righteousnesse of Faith Nay a more absolute and perfect righteousnesse then any