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
A85302	Animadversions upon Sir Henry Vanes book, entituled The retired mans meditations. Examining his doctrine concerning Adam's fall, Christs person, and sufferings, justification, common and special grace; and many other things in his book. / By Martin Finch, preacher of the Gospel.	Finch, Martin, 1628?-1698.	1656 (1656)	Wing F941; Thomason E1670_2; ESTC R208407	75,370	163

Christ and lose it the notionall and historicall faith and beliefe of the Gospel may be lost and men may sin away such inlightnings and convictions of the spirit but such faith as truly receives Christ into the heart and unites us unto him in the greatest stormes will not be shipwrackt and that man having this faith and hope in Christ hath an Anchor for his soule both sure and stedfast Heb. 6. ult this faith swims in the sea of Christs blood in the Ocean of free grace where it cannot suffer shipwrack Page 221. 222. He saith concerning Abrahams calling that his first remove was out of the state of degenerate nature and his heathenish life into circumcision or experience of that commumon with God which is by the first Covenant which he made use of but as an Iun in his passage to the higher state If the Author had consulted with the fourth Rom. he would have bloted out this passage for in that Chap. the Apostle haveing spoken of justification Gods imputing righteousness without workes and remembering their sins no more he telleth us in the 9.10.11.12 verses that before ever Abraham received the signe of circumcision he was thus justified and therefore had true saving faith He received circumcision a se●l of the righteousness 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 righteousness might be imputed to them also and the Author is mistaken to think that circumcision was a seale of the Covenant of workes for it was a seale of the righteousness of the new covenant which Abraham had believed in before Page 318. He saith these under the first image wherein yet there is not eternall life are planted into Christ as branches in the vine and good olive tree and so rendred righteous in the righteousness of their head and root That place John 15.1 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit is taken away the learned very well and according to the originall read thus Every branch that beareth not fruit in me is taken away and so the meaning is that though men beare never so much fruit by their husband the law yet all these children are but bastards unlesse they be married to Christ the true husband and though such may go for true saints yet they are not and doth not at all hold forth that any man may be truly in Christ and yet not be in a saving state which will be more evident if we compare this place with Rom. 8.1 where the Apostle saith That there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus to them that are truly in Christ planted into him to such there is no condemnation but they are passed from death to life and this Author confesses that these men are rendred righteous in the righteousness of Christ their head and root and if so what hinders their eternall salvation will not Christs righteousness justifie them and save them for ever we are content to leave it upon that issue and venture our soules upon that score that if our being rendred righteous in the righteousness of Christ our head and root will not bring us to Heaven we are willing to miscarry for ever but we know assuredly that his righteousnesse will justifie us for ever and save us to the utmost that come to God by him In that Page 318. He saith these go about to establish their owne righteousness not submiting to the righteousness of God But hath not the Author often said that these men in the first image seek acceptance with God onely by the righteousness of Christ and in this same page saith they are rendred righteous in the righteousness of Christ their head and if so how do they go about to establish their owne righteousness but the mystery lieth in the Authors understanding of the righteousness of God distinguishing betweene the righteousness of Christ and the righteousness of God but it s the righteousness of Christ that the Scripture calls the righteousness of God and we have shewed before why the righteousness of Christ is called the righteousness of God not as if the righteousness of Christ by which we are justified was the eternall righteousness of the Godhead as Osiander dreamed which is not communicable unto us but whatsoever the Author saith here of men in the first image that they will not submit to the righteousness of God yet page 118. he saith they are made the righteousness of God in Christ Page 320. He saith these are begotten againe into Gods own likness wherein man was created at first and have the visible characters thereof shining forth in it not written with inke and on tables of stone but with the spirit of the liveing God and on the fleshly tables of the heart shewing it selfe a right change and a reall heart work above and beyond all that is accounted civility and morality and above all notion and spirituality that is but head work and fancy and the tempter perswades them to rest here and praise and blesse Gods word and makes them say its good for us to be here especially if we be upon the Mount and brought hither by Christ himself It being supposed what the Author confesses that these look for acceptance with God onely in the beloved this is a blessed state and all they that are brought into it are taught of God and not by the devill as the Author imagines to blesse Gods word and be thankfull for this rich grace and say its good for us to be here whither should we go we are with him that hath alone the words of eternal life we are with him that justifies us sanctifies us stays us with flaggons comforts us with apples quickens us influences us with his spirit kisses us with the kisses of his mouth whose love is better then wine guides us by his counsell and afterwards brings us to his glory surely we may blesse the word of the Lord and magnifie his grace and say its good to be here and blesse the Lord that he brought us to this blessed state and for sanctification who are partakers of it as the Author here describes it but the true believers its they onely that put on the new man which after the image of God is created in righteousnesse and true holiness 〈…〉 3.3 rejoyced in such as the Epistle of Christ whose hearts were so written on by the spirit of the living God and Hebr. 8.10 it s made a speciall blessing of the new Covenant of grace I will put my lawes into their minde and write them in their hearts such have God to be their God in Covenant for ever and they his people for ever and though the heart of a naturall man may in some sort be swept and garnished yet not thus written on by the spirit of God as the Author saith Page 325. He saith That these in the first image have their consciences purged from dead

in notions and opinions as others do in other opinions but we use to count it great uncharitableness to charge all of a judgement with that which some being of that judgement do hold but if all of that judgement were of this mind the Author should be of it for he holdeth universal redemption yet I hope he doth not rest there nor own or reject others as they hold or hold not with him in that point but the Author misrepresents others judgements as well as the udgement of those that are for general redemption Page 199. He tells us those that differ from those that are for general redemption do evidently contradict and deny unto them most clear certain and undeniable truths and all that which they say concerning conditional reprobation freewil falling away and the like as relating to the children of the first Covenant will find that from the Scriptures which will justifie it The Author is very confident and profuse in his accusation of the Anti-Arminians and too highly exalts their opinions that are for universal redemption as if they were the very Gospel calling their opinions most clear certain and undeniable truths but what are their opinions that are most clear and undeniable truths why he saith their opinions of conditional reprobation freewil falling away and the like as relating to the children of the first covenant Let us hear their opinions and first of conditional reprobation The Arminiuns opinion is that there is no absolute and irrevocable but only conditional decree of predestination to damnation or salvation and that the number of the elect and reprobate is not so certain but that is may be diminished or augmented and that the primary cause of the decree of reprobation not of its execution is the praeconsideration and praevision of sin and not the meer will and pleasure of God And is their opinion such a plain and most undeniable truth their doctrine is such that notwithstanding Gods decrees either to life or death there might either none have been saved or none damned And according to their doctrine the grace of election is made voyd for if it were not Gods free will and pleasure that was the primary cause of the reprobates reprobation and non-election but works foreseen then consequently it was not Gods free will and pleasure that was the cause of the elects election but their works foreseen and then fare well that discriminating grace and love of God from all eternity neverthelesse we still make sin the cause of damnation but Gods free pleasure the cause of Gods non-electing and passing men by in his eternal counsels resolving to leave them in their sins and to condemnation for their sins Concerning free will the Arminians hold that there is a sufficient universal grace derived upon all men by which they may believe and be saved if they will And is this most clear and evident in the Scripture no the contrary is evident in the Scripture Isa 53.1 John 6.44 45. John 12.38 39 40. Page 205. He saith that the flesh of Christ may be received and eaten either worthily or unworthily men not distinguishing between Christs living body and his crucified body The Author if he had pleased might in this case have considered of the old distinction of the Martyrs of eating and receiving panem demini and panem dominum of that which is the sign and sacrament and the thing it self no man but the true believer eats of the bread of life the Lord Jesus for hic edere est credere by eating is meant believing but he saith they do not distinguish between Christs living body and crucified body Alas the same body of Jesus Christ that was crucified is a living body for it was impossible for that holy one to see corruption and it is not the meer body of Jesus Christ considered as living or crucified that saveth us as Christ telleth us in that case it is the spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing Page 225. He saith Abraham was justified before God by that faith wrought out in Christ his head The Scripture telleth us that by Christs obedience we are made righteous and that we are justified by his blood but no where that we are justified by the faith that is wrought out in Christ we are justified by his righteousness imputed to us not by the faith that Christ had the Author seemeth all along to have many wide mistakes about the righteousness by which we are justified when the Scripture telleth us we are justified by the faith of Christ the meaning is that we are justified by Christ believed in not that we are justified by the faith which he had And so he saith in the same 225. page that faith considered as abiding in Christ and not in us is that which properly just●fieth the believer But Christ though in some sense he had faith that is to say he trusted in the father that he would carry him through the work of bearing our sins and that he would so accept of his bearing the chastisement of our peace that he would deliver us from going down to the pit because of the ransome that he paid and believed that he should see his seed that the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hands yet he had not such faith as in Scripture is called saving and justifying faith for he was no sinner that he received another for his righteousnes The Author leaving the simplicity of the Gospel runs in vain and unscriptural notions in those things Page 291. He saith that Christs Disciples were called the children of the bride-chamber and yet then had no higher knowledg of him then in his fle shly glory and perfection The place he m●aneth is Matth. 9.15 which holdeth forth no such thing but what a forrowing there should be in the Disciples when they were deprived of Christs bodily presence but that was not a depriving of them of that which the Author calleth the first Image but ●●vay what fleshly glory and perfection was 〈◊〉 Christ that the Disciples should know Christ only in that Alas he had no fleshly glory and perfection his visage was marred more then any of the sons of men Isa 52. never was so glorious a person so obscured as he was insomuch that the people said is not this the Carpenters son his fleshly glory and perfection was so little that those which looked only at that could see no form nor comeliness in him wherefore they should desire him let the Author have better thoughts of the Disciples then that they followed Christ and left all for him only for his fleshly glory and perfection no they saw him with better eyes they saw him to be Jehovah their righteousness the only begotten son of God full of grace and truth Page 300. He maketh this the great sin of those in the first Image that they set up the sons Kingdom in their hearts in competition with and opposition to the fathers View the Scriptures

God unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in a strong guard or garrison that the Devil can never take as he did Adams state by craft when the serpent beguiled Eve yea when Satan desires to have us that he may winnow us as wheat Christ prayes for us that our faith faile not but he that hath begun his good work in us to have our faith and hope in Christ will perform it to the day of Jesus Christ the righteousness of Christ is imputed to no man but by an act of the free grace of the Father and being so freely imputed its continuance is certain and for ever God by his mighty power keeps them from drawing back to perdition keeps them in a way of believing and preserves them to the heavenly Kingdome eternal life is freely given them by Christ and therefore they shall never perish neither shall any man be able to pluck th●● out of his hands John 10.27 28. CHAP. VI. Treats more particularly of the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace and the difference between them THe Author to make his Doctrine more taking up and down his Book would perswade the Reader that those that he saith are called Orthodox doe but seek their life and righteousnesse from the Covenant of Works and that we may be made the righteousnesse of God in Christ and yet be but under the covenant of works This we have touched before and here by the grace of God shall more particularly treat of First then Let us consider what the Law and Covenant of Works is It calls for full and perfect obedience on our part with promise on Gods part to give life thereupon and threatning death and damnation to him that disobeyes that the soule that sinneth it shall dye as Gal. 3.10 As many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse for it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in every thing that is written in the Book of the Law to doe it which shewes us how the Law curses and condemnes all that are under it upon the least transgression and disobedience and therefore as the Apostle saith here being we have all sinned as many of us as are under the Law and not under grace are under the curse and if under the curse of the law then its false that the Author saith in many places of his Book that a man may have Christ made righteousnesse to him in a way of justification and yet be but under the law and covenant of works for a man cannot at the same time be both justified and be under the curse and we see whoever is under the covenant of works is under the curse and so consequently it is a mistake that the Author holds that such have Christ made righteousnesse to them in a way of justification According to the law and covenant of works the least sin damnes a man one vaine thought one idle word brings the vengeance of eternal fire every disobedience receiveth such a just recompence of reward therefore saith the Scripture Rom. 4.15 The Law worketh wrath for where no Law is there is no transgression no man under the covenant of works can be justified as this Author imagines for the law and covenant of works worketh wrath sets justice against us and makes all the world become guilty before God Rom. 3.19 No man is absolved under the covenant of works and hath remission of sins but all become guilty before God Hence also 2 Cor. 3. 6,9 the covenant of works is said to kill the Gospel only to make alive the covenant of works to be the ministration of condemnation the covenant of grace to be the ministration of righteousnesse and so Rom. 7.8 Without the law sin is dead hath no power to condemn us for the strength of sin is the law and Paul ver 11. saith by it to wit the law sin slew him Adam was the primus faederatus in the covenant of works the Lord Jesus the second Adam in the covenant of grace The first Adam was a common person in that covenant of works and stood in the room of all mankind he Broke the conditions of that covenant and there can be no renewal of that covenant of works no coming to life that way that covenant is broken and so all the world become guilty before God there is no receiving of Christ upon the terms of this covenant of works as this Author saies page 118. and in many other places and in the same page saith that we are made the righteousnesse of God in Christ upon the tenour of that covenant for we have seen that by the covenant of works we stand upon our own obedience not upon Christs we have our life in our own righteousnesse not in Christs it is by the Gospel the covenant of grace that any man comes to have Jesus Christ made of God unto him wisedom righteousness sanctification and redemption which Covenant of grace comes next to be explained This Covenant of grace whereof we now speak was made principally with Christ as the common person representing all the elect as the Covenant of works was made with Adam a common person representing all mankind and Christ Jesus is said Isa 49.8 to be given for a Covenant to the people the father and Christ having struck hands in that Covenant of grace and peace between them both Now this Covenant of grace is a blessed compact and agreement between the father and Christ Jesus that Christs soul should be made an offering for our sins that he should purge away our sins by the sacrifice of himself reconcile us to God by the blood of his Crosse and that God would be our God remember our sins no more accept us in him the beloved justifie us sanctifie us bestow upon us grace and glory and blesse us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in him this is that which we count to be the Covenant of grace and let this Author if he can shew that this is but the Covenant of works Our standing in the Covenant of works depended upon Adams obedience while he stood we stood when he fell we fell our standing in the Covenant of grace depends upon Christ that while he is righteous we are righteous that are found in him and so Christ tells us John 14.19 because I live ye shall live also he hath performed that commandement that he received of the father to lay down his life for his sheep and so God is reconciled for ever in the volumn of Gods book it is written of Christ that he should thus do the will of God in bedring the chastisement of our peace in the body prepared for him Heb. 10 Christ according to his agreement and Covenant with the father to purchase eternal life grace and glory for those whom he had given him did bear our sins in his own body upon the tree was delivered for our offences and rose again for our

by him in his own person imputed to him as he saith but now the Covenant of works and the Covenant of grace are so differing as we have already discovered that its impossible that a man can be justified upon the terms and tenour of the Covenant of grace and works too for what saith the Scripture Rom. 11.6 If it be by grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace But if it be of works then it is no more grace otherwise work is no more work and to be justified by faith and to be justified by the Law and upon the tenour of the Covenant of works are everywhere in the Scripture rendered inconsistent I say not this as if I owned the Authors judgement in that particular as if what he calls being justified upon the tenour of the first Covenant were so indeed for there is no such thing but whosoever is justified by Christ is justified upon the terms of the Covenant of grace but to shew how the Author maketh a linsey-woosley businesse of it and falls into that mistake according to the tenour of his judgment that he would impose upon us to wit our looking for justification by the Covevenant of works whereas we look for our justification only upon the terms and tenour of the Covenant of grace and think the justification of the new Covenant so entire and perfect that we look for no justification upon the tenour of the Covenant of works to compleat it for as Paul told the Galatians if they were but circumcised to wit with a conceit to adde that to the righteousness of the new Covenant for their justification Christ should profit them nothing no though this Author insinuates that those that are called Orthodox are ignorant of the way of justification by the Covenant of grace yet they are not to seek for the knowledge of it nor do not distract mens faith as this Author doth to send them first to Christ for a justification upon the tearms and tenour of the Covenant of works and when they have got that to see that they are not safe there but then they must get a justification according to the Covenant of grace no they do not go about the bush thus but hold forth Christs righteousness and the Covenant of grace and mercy directing men to apply the blood of sprinkling to receive Christ to be their Priest to save them their King to rule them and their Prophet to teach them and then they have an Ancre for their soules both sure and stedfast CHAP. VII Takes a general View of the Authors Book HAving already particularly singled out some of the Authors Doctrine and examined it under several Chapters I shall now give the Reader a more miscellanious and general view of this Authors Doctrine And here we shall not oppose all that might be opposed but keep to the end which I propounded to my selfe to wit to deal with those passages in the Book that obscure the Gospel and are most likely to mislead or stumble-the unwary Reader Page 83. He saith Cain and Abel were both for a while worshippers and servants of God approaching to him by Sacrifice in testimony of their coming and relying upon the blood of Christ Cain without faith only by a life derived from Christ as he is head of the natural man and he hated Abel because he was in the higher Image But what Scripture saith Cain was a servant of God or had such a life from Christ as the Author speaks of though he offered sacrifice as well as Abel yet every one that offereth sacrifice is not presently the servant of God what though Cains mother said she had gotten a man from the Lord of him are all things that any mother may say in a sense of the wickedest child and though he offered sacrifice yet it doth not follow as the Author saith that he relyed upon the blood of Christ a man may doe a hundred times more then that and yet never rely upon the blood of Christ and if Cain did hate his brother Abel because he had true faith in Christ and so offered up a more acceptable sacrifice then he yet it doth not therefore follow that as the Author saith he was the servant of God and relyed upon the blood of Christ and was in the first image but rather the contrary that he was not thus for if he had owned and relyed upon the blood of Christ his sacrifice would have been accepted as well as Abels for it was by faith and relyance upon Christs blood that Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice then Cain Page 175. He saith Christ brings us to eternal glory the same way he came to it himself who was made perfect by sufferings But we are brought to eternal glory by the righteousnesse of another imputed to us but so was not Christ we are brought to glory by Christs sufferings not by our own let us have a care of S●●●ianism Page 175. He saith that every man may keep himself from such high provocations for which God swears in his wrath they shall never enter into his rest God can keep men from such high provocations and wilful resistance of him and his wayes but man cannot keep himselfe God can do it by his restraining grace but man cannot The way of man is not in himselfe it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps without Christ we can doe nothing and therefore David prayed that God would incline his heart to his testimonies and not to covetousnesse the very inclination of the heart in man to the wayes of the Lord is from the Lord not from our selves Truly I think even those that are Saints if the Lord had left them to themselves would have fallen into those high provocations and wilfull resistance and refusal of Christ which is the main thing for which he swears in his wrath that we shall not enter into his rest If Saints and such Saints as Noah David Peter and Solomon when left to themselves did fall so shamefully then what power is there in other men to keep themselves from the greatest sins David one of them saith Psal 73.22 So foolish was I and ignorant I was as a beast before thee These Saints that fell as they did would have backslided and revolted more even into all evil were it not that God kept them by his mighty power and plucked them as firebrands out of the fire let us not think every man hath power to keep himselfe from such high provocations and wilfull resistance of Christ and his grace but rather admire and be thankfull to him who is so rich in mercy as to keep any of us from the greatest transgression and transgressions for we who as the Scripture telleth us are not able to think a good thought of our selves are not able to keep our selves from the highest provocations what are we but an infinite and endlesse evil we goe astray as soon as we are