Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
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A25208
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A faithful rebuke to a false report lately dispersed in a letter to a friend in the country Concerning certain differences in doctrinals, between some dissenting ministers in London.
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Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing A2910; ESTC R215794
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39,818
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63
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Doctrine of Justification upon its â—roper Basis namely Divine Revelation upon which botâ—om God himself had establisht it and then it stands unmoveable and the Gates the Power and Policy of Hell â—all not prevail against it Now hearken to the Report of â—is Canon a great Report without Ball. It 's impossible to establish the Doctrine of Iustification on its â—ue and proper Basis any otherwise than by clearing the point of Commutation of Persons Impossible what a huge Opinion have these Men of â—he vast extent of their Intellectuals They can admeaâ—ure it to a Hairs Breadth just where the possible ends and where the impossible begins It had been more modest to have qualified the Word with for ought I know or 〈◊〉 apprehend but if that great Doctrine cannot possibâ—â— be establish'd upon its Basis without clearing the Poiâ—â— of Commutation of Persons why do they not why havâ— they not long since cleared it Dr. Crisp has cleared iâ— and to say Truth though he be erroneous yet he speaâ— clearly we see his Sense but these Gentlemen speaâ— dubiously darkly at best but in the Twilight anâ— whether there be a sound Sense under those obscurâ— Phrases we know not nor perhaps they neither This Doctrine had need be well setled and in ordâ—â— thereto the Basis of it well cleared for I have ever tâ—ken it to be Articulus stantis out cadentis ecclesiae If thâ— Article fails the Church fails and falls with it and 〈◊〉 were better the whole World should fall than either Give me leave to offer a few things to his high Conâ—â—dence 1. He that will build a Castle in the Air must bâ— content with a Foundation of Air to support it and 〈◊〉 that will form an Imaginary Notion of Justification muâ—â— provide a Basis in his own Imagination for it to rest uâ— on If indeed Justification admits no Faith as Dr. Criâ—â— has contrived it then we must admit his Pedestal to se â—e it upon To reckon our selves in Christ's Person anâ— Christ in ours which is his Commutation of Persons but 〈◊〉 the Holy Ghost unites the Soul to Christ by Faith iâ— no such impossible thing to conceive how both our Siâ—â— may be imputed to Christ and his Righteousness to thâ— be lieving Sinner 2. This great Doctrine of Justification is already seâ—â—led upon Divine Revelation there it has stood from thâ— Beginning there it shall stand to the end of Time anâ— Things and needs not the presumptuous Fancies 〈◊〉 towring Wits to place it on a more from Bottom Buâ— are we not brought to a sine pass we must trust Goâ— no farther than we can see him believe no more thaâ— we can understand a Reason for that is we must wheeâ— about to the main Principle of the Socinians to admit no more into our Creed than we can comprehend He that will settle the great revealed Doctrines of Religion on a humane Foundation overthrows it The Scripture has sufficiently revealed the Doctrine of Justification to be through Christ's Righteousness accepted of God received by Faith and for this Commutation of Persons in their Sense it knows nothing of it Let not therefore this Gentleman be so over-officious â—o erect a Basis for Justification of his own Head or of wiser Heads than his the Holy Spirit has done that already left putting forth his daring Hand to stay the Ark which he dreams begins to totter he should meet with the fate of presumptuous Uzzah 3. I would ask this modest Question Where has this Doctrine of Justification been setled all this while since the Reformation since the purest Primo-Primitive Times What! has it hung like Mahomet's Tomb in â—he Air or floated like the Ark upon the Water No! It has stood firm and unmoveable upon Scriptural Founâ—ations against all the Assaults of Papists Socinians Arâ—inians and Antinomians It has stood visible in the Arâ—icles of the Church of England in the Confessions of the Assembly at Westminster in that of the Savoy in the Caâ—echisms shorter and larger and yet this uncouth Phrase never yet heard of It is strange to me that Councils General and Provincial Synods Assemblies of Holy Learned Men should so often so strenuously assert and confirm by the Word of God this great Truth and yet never once dream of Dr. Crisp's Commutation of Persons â—pon which to superstruct the Doctrine of Justification Nay I would intreat these Gentlemen to look at home â—nd inquire whether any particular Congregation of â—hat denomination soever did ever insert any of these Terms amongst their Credenda even that to which he â—ay belong or over which he may preside and yet I will presume they have the Doctrine of Justification Orthodoxly propounded judiciously explained and solidly confirmed without these Innovations and strange Term of Commutation of Persons Christ's taking on him the Person of Sinners or dying in the Person of Sinners 4. This Phrase the Change of the Person of Christ may have and truly has an honest and sound Sense in which it may be of some good use to explain the Doctrines of Satisfaction and Justification and it is that which the Right Reverend the Bishop of Worcester with Grotius against Crellius do put upon it Reason of Christ's Suffer Edit 1. p. 144. viz. the Substitution of one Person in the room of another and pag. 143. A proper Redemption may be obtained by the Punishment of one in the Room of another which is neither more nor less than that Christ suffered and died in our room and stead And this is it which the former and latter Papers which Mr. Williams and all others do freely own and that which is denied is only such a Sense of the Phrase as his Antagonist asserts 〈◊〉 therefore Christ's dying by way of Change or Exchange be all they would have 't is no more than what is granted in that other Expression he died in our place and stead but if they must have a further Sense we are afraid oâ— Nonsense if they must have a higher Reach we are afraid of an Over-reach and therefore let them tell us how much larger a Sense they have some secret Services for and when we know it will be told them whether we judge it Orthodox or otherwise 4. Casting my Eye upon the Manuscript I meet with a small Cavil against Commutation of Persons as iâ— stands either in the Third Paper or in Mr. Williams and if it be indifferent to him whether of them be misrepresented or reproached it shall be as indifferent to me if either of them be set right or vindicated Now the Words he cavils at as he quotes them run thus It is apparent that Commutation of Persons is to be understooâ— in a legal or judicial Sense as we may call it He by Agreement between the Father and him came into our room and stead to answer for our Violation of the Law of Works At which he cavils thus As we may call it not that it is really so in a