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	work_n	wrought_v	5,418	5	9.4241	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34992	A practical and polemical commentary or exposition on the whole fifteenth Psalm wherein the text is learnedly and fruitfully explained, some controversies discussed, sundry cases of conscience are cleared, more especially that of usurie : many common places succinctly handled ... / by Christopher Cartwright ... ; the life of the reverend and learned author is prefixed.	Cartwright, Christopher, 1602-1658.; Bolton, John, 1599-1679. Life of the author.	1658 (1658)	Wing C693; ESTC R18318	282,330	382

It is not such a Faith as whereby Abraham was justified for his Faith did appear and evidence it self by his works vers 21 22 23. And so did Rahabs Faith vers 25. Caution 1. But let none so mis understand this as if according to the Popish Doctrine a man were justified by his works By the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin Rom. 3.20 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law vers 28. See also Rom. 4.3 6 7 8. Therefore when S. James saith that by works a man is justified and not by faith onely Jacobus docet quod non side sterili sed fide foecundâ operibus justificamur Cajet in Jac. 2. Jam. 2 24. the meaning is as Cajetan himself doth expound it That a man is not justified by faith that is barren but fruitful in good works So when he saith vers 21. Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered up Isaac his son upon the Altar by works must needs be meant a working Faith for he addes vers 23. And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness Now that was spoken of Abraham long before his offering up of Isaac as appears by Gen. 15. 22. so that Abraham was justified by faith long before but that work of obedience which he did in offering up his son shewed that his faith was a true justifying faith indeed and that it was not without good cause said of him that he believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness Caution 2. Neither again must the Doctrine so be understood as if which the Papists also hold good works did merit heaven and eternal life It is one thing not to be saved without good works and another thing to be saved for them Aliudest secundum opera reddere aliud propter ipsa opera reddere Greg. in Psal 145.8 God will render to every one according to his deeds Rom. 2.6 but not to every one for his deeds To the wicked indeed he will render both according to their deeds also for their deeds because their deeds deserve damnation But to the godly he will onely render according to their deeds not for their deeds not for the merit of them because they do not deserve salvation For 1. The best works that any can do are due and therefore not meritorious When ye shall have done all these things which are commanded you say We are unprofitable servants We have done that which was our duty to do Luk. 17.10 Secondly If we do any good we do it not of our selves by our own power but it is God that doth inable us to do it For we are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but all our sufficiency is of God 2 Cor. 3.5 Therefore whatever good we do we are beholding to God and not he to us for it and consequently we cannot merit any thing at his hands by it Thirdly Our good works are mixed with evil works and are in themselves even the best of them imperfect In many things we offend all Jam. 3.2 There is iniquity even in our holy things Exod. 28.38 Therefore Nehemiah though he prayed unto God to remember him concerning the good that he had done yet to shew how far he was from presuming of the merit of it he added And spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy Neh. 13.22 Fourthly There is no proportion betwixt our works and Salvation no works that we can do are equal to it Illi namque beatae vitae in quâ cum Deo de D o vivitur nullus potest aequari labor nulla opera comparari presertim cum Apostolus dicat non sunt condigne passiones hujus temporis ad futuram gloriàm quae revelabitur in nobis Gregor ubi supra and therefore neither can they merit it The most that we can do is to suffer for the Name of God and of Christ and for righteousness sake Phil. 1.29 Mat. 5.10 11. But the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us Rom. 8.18 But as none must think to be saved for good works so neither must any expect Salvation without good works In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh through love Gal. 5.6 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the commandments of God 1 Cor. 7.19 Work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling Philip. 2.12 Vse 1 This then may serve first to vindicate our Doctrine and to wipe off the Aspersion which the Papists cast upon us as if we were adversaries and enemies unto good works teaching people that if they believe then all is well enough what ever they do however they live they are sure of Salvation This is not our Doctrine though some may make this perverse use of it We are for the necessity of good works as much as they of the Church of Rome are though we dare not ascribe so much unto them as they do See Serm. 5. Use 1. Vse 2 This also confutes the Antinomians and such as are so for the preaching of Gods mercy and free Grace that they cannot endure to have Duties preached unto people and pressed upon them This they think is legal and servile not agreeable to that Evangelical and free Estate that Christians are now in But we have not so learned Christ He indeed doth make us free Joh. 8.36 But how Not free to sin but free from sin For whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin Joh. 8.34 Know ye not that to whom ye yeild your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of righteousness unto life But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine which was delivered unto you Being then made free from sin ye became the servants of righteousness Rom. 16.16 17 18. For this end God sent his Son to redeem us that being delivered out of the hands of our enemies we might serve him without fear in righteousness and holiness before him all the days of our life Luke 1.74 75. For this end Christ gave himself for us He died for all that they which live might not live unto themselves but unto him that died for them and rose again 2 Cor. 5 15. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 There is no hope of Salvation by Christ without yielding obedience unto Christ He is the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 He is a King as well as a Priest and a

doer or as a busie-body in other mens matters Non debet quid quisque patiatur sed quarè ●atiatur atten●i Aug. contra Crescon lib. 4. cap. 46. Non poena sed causa facit martyrem Yet if any suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorifie God on this behalfe Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their soules to him in well doing as unto a faithful creator 1 Pet. 4.15 16 19. SERM. VI. SERM. 6 Psal 15.2 And speaketh the truth in his heart HEre David begins to shew more particularly how he is qualified that shall abide in Gods tabernacle and dwell in his holy hill that is that shall inherit heaven and enjoy salvation He is one that speaketh the truth in his heart that is so as he conceiveth in his heart he hath not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one thing in his mouth and another thing in his heart as R. Salomon and Kimchi note upon the text The observation which I raise hence is this Doct. He that would be a citizen of heaven and an heire of salvation must have a care to speak the truth and to eschew lying The Prophet Zephanie notes this as the propertie of the true Israel of God upon whom shall be peace and mercy Gal. 6.16 that they shall not doe iniquity nor speake lies neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth Zeph. 3.13 And diverse precepts there are both in the old and in the new Testament wherein speaking the truth is required and lying is forbidden Ye shall not deale falsly nor ly one to another Levit. 19.11 Speake ye every man the truth to his neighbour Zach. 8.16 Putting alway lying speake every man truth with his neighbour Ephes 4.25 Lie not one to another Col. 3.9 Divers cominations and threatnings of destruction there are in both Testaments against lyars Thou shalt destroy them that speake leasing Psal 5.6 He that speaketh lyes shall perish Prov. 19.9 Amongst others are reckoned all lyars that shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Revel 21.8 So Revel 22.15 among those that shall be without that shall have no place in the heavenly Jerusalem is reckoned whosoever loveth and maketh a lie For the further confirmation of the doctrine there are these reasons 1. Lying is repugnant unto God and odious unto him For God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that cannot lie Tit. 1.2 He is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the God of truth Isai 65.15 Amongst those things that are an abomination unto God is reckoned a lying tongue Prov. 6.16 17. So Prov. 12.22 Lyings lipps are an abomination to the Lord. 2. Lying is a part of the old man which al must put off that would be saved The Apostle having shewed that such as have truely learned Christ have learned this that they must put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts And be renewed in the spirit of their minde And put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness from thence he inferres this exhorta●●on Wherefore putting away lying speake the truth every man with his neighbour Ephes 4.20 25. So Col. 3.9 Lie not one to another saith he why seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deedes 3. Lying is the worke and invention of the devil He abode not in the truth saith our Saviour speaking of the devil because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his owne for he is a lyar and the father of it to wit of a lie John 8.44 Before I come to the use of the point some things are to be observed for the better understanding of it 1. It is not allways necessary nor expedient to speake all that we know or thinke of a thing whereof we speake A foole uttereth all his minde but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards till occasion require him to speak Prov. 29.11 A wise mans heart discerneth both time and judgment both when and how to speake Eccles 8.5 But it is both expedient and necessary that we speake no more then we know or thinke for this is lying though the other be not It is lawful and requisite somtimes to conceale what is true but it is never either requisite or lawful to utter what is false the former is no lying but the latter is Abraham might be too blame in saying of Sarah his wife She is my sister Gen. 20.2 In this he might shew his weakness of faith and might expose his wives chastity to danger but I doe not well see how he can justly be taxed for lying because there was nothing false that he uttered though there were some thing true which he concealed For Sarah as she was his wife so was she also his sister that is his neare kinswoman which in the Hebrew language is as much as sister The Jewish Doctors thinke Iscah the daughter of Haran Abrahams brother to be the same with Sarah Vide Annotationes meas in Gen. 11.29 When Abimelech understood that Sarah was Abrahams wife and expostulated with Abraham about it Abraham having shewed the reason why he said that she was his sister and concealed that she was his wife added And yet indeed she is my sister she is the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother he meanes that she was his kinswoman by his father but not by his mother and she became my wife Gen. 20.12 2. Figurative speeches are no lyes as metaphorical speeches such as that is The pastures are clothed with flockes the valleys also are covered over with corne they shout for joy they also sing Psal 65.13 So when false Prophets are termed wolves Mat. 7.15 Act. 20.29 And Herod is called a foxe Luke 13.32 So hyperbolic●l speeches as that Deut. 9.1 Cities great and fenced up to heaven And that John 21.25 There are also many other things 〈◊〉 Jesus ●●d which if the● should be written every one I suppose 〈◊〉 even the world it selfe could not containe the book●● that should be written And so parables which are frequent in the Scripture These speeches I say are no lyes because though a thing be not so as they expresse according to the proper acception of the wordes yet according to the figurative acception of them it is so Metaphorical speeches expresse one thing by another because of some remarkable similitude that is betwixt them So also doe parables which as allegories are but as it were continued metaphors And hyperbolical expressions are used only to set forth the greatness of a thing not as if so much were meant as is expressed Ironical speeches wherein one thing is uttered and another thing quite contrary is intended of all figurative expressions may most seeme to be lyes Such was th●● of Micaiah to Ahab concerning his

to the Carthaginians any more but the Senate hearing of it caused him to be sent back to Hannibal to be dealt with as a perfidious person For saith Cicero fraud doth confirm Fraus enim astringit non dissolvit perjuriam Fuit igitur stulta calliditas perversè imitata prudentiam Cic. ubi supra not dissolve perjury And therefore he saith it was a foolish policy which was used and a perverse imitation of prudence Plutarch also writes of Sextus Pompeius Plut in Anton. that he having Octavius and Antonius that were his enemies in his ship which he commanded and having sworn unto them to dismiss them in peace when the governor of the ship came unto him and asked him secretly if he should cu● the cables and carry them away and so make him Lord o● the Romane Empire he answered him Thou shouldest have done it of thy self but now let us be content with what we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it is not for me to forswear my self Shall not these heathens rise up in jud●ment against many Christians and condemn them who make no conscience of those bonds which the very heathens did account so sacred and inviolable Now to this end that we may performe our Oathes and our promises let us observe these directions 1. When we promise and especially swear let us be sure to understand what we doe Be not rash with thy mouth saith Solomon and let not thine heart be hasty to utter a thing before God Eccles 5.2 He speaks of vowes which are promises made unto God When thou vowest a vow unto God saith he defer not to pay it for he hath no pleasure in fools pay therefore that which thou hast vowed ver 4. But it holds also in respect of promises made unto men and especially in respect of Oathes which though they be sworn unto men yet they are sworn by God And therefore as he there adds v. 6. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin neither say thou before the angel that is either Christ the angel or messenger of the Covenant Mal. 3.1 or a created angel which is a ministring spirit sent forth to minister for those that shall be heirs of salvation It was an error Wherefore should God be angry at thy voice and destroy the work of thy hands Ne testem facias angelum impudentiae tuae dum errorem tuum excusas cumque pretexis speciosis quibusdam commentis S●rran ad loc Let us therefore I say be well advised before we ingage our selves by promise especially if we confirm the promise by an Oath Abrahams servant was very cautious in taking the Oath which his master required of him he was very careful to understand what he should swear and how far forth he should stand ingaged Gen. 24.3 4 5. Such care and cautiousness will all have who fear an oath Eccles 9.2 and exercise themselves to have always a conscience voyd of offence both toward God and toward men Act. 24.16 The like we may see by the example of the spies when they ingaged themselves by oath unto Rahab Josh 2.17 20. Quod dubitas ne f●c●ris 2. If we doubt of the lawfulness of the Oath or promise which is required of us we may not meddle with it for though in it self it be lawful yet to us it is not lawful Let every man be fully perswaded in his own minde Rom. 14.5 I know and am perswaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of it self but to him that esteemeth any thing unclean to him it is unclean ver 14. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat because he eateth not of faith for whatsoever is not of faith is sin ver 23. 3. If we judge the oath or promise lawful and not to be refused let us deal sincerely and intend what we swear or promise As our prayer unto God so our promise unto men and especially our Oath by God must not proceed out o● fained lips Psal 17.1 4. After we have sworn or promised let us be mindful of our Oaths and promises and careful to perform them David thought of the covenant that he made with Jonathan and the Oath which he sware unto him when Jonathan was dead he remembred it and had a care to perform it Is there yet any said he that is left of the house of Saul that I may shew him kindness for Jonathans sake 2 Sam. 9.1 And when seven of the sons of Saul were to be hanged up because of the wrong that Saul had done to the Gibeonites David spared Meph●bosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul because of the Lords Oath that was between them between David and Jonathan the son of Saul 2 Sam. 21.7 And to this end again that we may observe the forementioned directions we must observe these that follow 1. We must get and increase act and exercise faith If we have faith in God it will inable us to keep faith towards men whatsoever come of it For by it by faith the Elders obtained a good report Heb. 11.2 Through faith they wrought righteousness ver 33. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen ver 1. By faith we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen 2 Cor. 4.18 Therefore faith will make us to have a good conscience in all things and to be willing to live honestly Heb. 13.18 though in outward and earthly respects it prove never so prejudicial and hurtful unto us 2. We must nourish and maintain in us the fear of God for then we will fear an Oath so as not to take it if it be unlawful nor to break it if it be lawful and we have taken it Because people are possessed with carnal fear and want this spiritual fear because they have more of the fear of man then of God in them therefore against their conscience they promise and swear any thing that is imposed upon them and they make no conscience of any promises or Oathes to perform them Therefore sanctifie the Lord of hosts himself let him be your fear and let him be your dread And he shall be for a sanctuary Isa 8.13 14. Fear not them that can kill the body and after that have no more that they can do But I will tell you whom you shall fear fear him who when he hath killed hath power to cast into hell yea I say unto you fear him Luk. 12.4 5. 3. We must pray and labour for Christian fortitude and courage to be valiant for the truth for want of which grace Jeremy complained of those of his time Jer. 9.5 God hath not given us saith the Apostle the spirit of fear base cowardly fear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but of power and of love and of a sound minde 2 Tim. 1.7 If we have this spirit we shall be able to hold both faith and a good conscience