Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	circumcision_n	righteousness_n	seal_n	13,716	5	9.8320	5	true

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

him that was both God and man and therefore his blood is called Acts 20. the blood of God not that the divine nature could die but because he that shed his blood upon the Crosse was both God and man Again secondly the righteousnesse of Christ is called the righteousnesse of God because it is the righteousness God accepts for justification and hath appointed for the salvation and justification of his people and the onely righteousness that he imputeth to us when he justifieth us and thus it is said Rom. 10.3 that they being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse and going about to establish their owne righteousnesse have not submitted themselves to the righteousnesse of God that is to say they not knowing that Christs righteousness was the only righteousness that God would accept for the justification of a sinner they went about to establish their owne righteousnesse they thought their own obedience and righteousnesse would doe it and so never saw the shortness of their owne obedience to bring them unto life and therefore never submited to the righteousness of God never came to Christ that they might have life Thirdly Christs righteousness may be called Gods righteousness because Christs righteousnesse imputed to us declares Gods righteousnesse in justifying of us that he is just in it Rom. 3.29 Page 188. He saith that the Apostles meaning Rom. 7. when he saith the Law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth is that the Law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth unto Christ as his bridegroom husband under the first covenant are as it were his married wife Isaiah 54.1 bearing Children or becoming fruitfull unto Christ in that state But I wis his meaning is that the law hath dominion over a man that is hath power to curse us and condemn us so long as we live under it as a Covenant of workes for so here the Apostle is shewing the difference betweene a man that is united to Christ and one that is not united to Christ not the difference betweene a man that is united to Christ in the flesh and a man that is united to Christ in the higher image as this Author supposes and how plainly doth this Author contradict himselfe herein for page 118. he telleth us that those that are married to Christ and receive him according to the first covenant that they have the benefit of Christs legall righteousnesse by which he satisfied the Law so that he saith the law hath nothing to say against such but here he saith the Law hath dominion over such that is hath power to curse them and condemne them if the Author doth not plainly contradict himselfe in these two places let the reader judge and he goes on here to tel us that in this state men are married to Christ bear Children or become fruitfull unto him truly then our issue are not bastards when we are married to Christ beare children and are fruitfull to him surely Christ will for ever owne such to be his spouses and their Issue to be his but what Isa 54.1 will prove for him I know not neither is he pleased to tell us how he will argue from it but I am sure it will make against him for those that are there said now to beare and bring forth fruit are said in the 5. verse to have their Maker to be their husband and ver 8. God saith with everlasting kindnesse he will have mercy on them which surely is a saving state Page 189. He saith the fleshly seed of Israel were implanted into Christ so that by his righteousnesse and not by their owne they were made righteous and in him as in the first fruits the whole lumpe was rendred holy The elect among the children of Israel were so but we shall stay long enough before the Author can prove that all the fleshly seed of Israell were implanted into Christ and made righteous by his righteousness if they had they had surely been in a saving state will the Author never leave undervaluing the righteousness of Christ and saying that a man may be made righteous not in his owne righteousness but in the righteousness of Christ and yet not be in a saving state the worst I wish the Author is that he may be righteous in the righteousness of Christ which he hath lifted up his hand so high against in his booke that so he may finde mercy in that day when he must give an account of his booke and of all things he hath done in the body if the righteousness of Christ will not stand us in stead we perish for ever He is mistaken in Rom. 11. for by the first fruits there spoken of is not meant Christ but Abraham with whom God made such a gracious Govenant according to which the Jewes shall at last finde favour in Gods eyes who are beloved for that Fathers sake and therefore the Scripture often tells us that when the Jews provoked God he remembered the Govenant that he made with Abraham and did not forget the Covenant of their Fathers which he sware unto them Page 190. He applies 2 Colos 11. 13. verses to men in his first image that they are made partakers of all that is there spoken But we will try that the eleventh verse it is thus in whom also ye are circumcised with your circumcision made without hands in puting of the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ I do not a little marvell that he should apply this to men in the first image wherein there is no salvation for who doth the Apostle speak these of but of such as in the chapter before he calls Saints faithful verse 2. saith that they had faith in the Lord Jesus and love to all the Saints telleth them there was hope laid up for them in heaven verse 5. and second chap. 10. tells them they were compleat in Christ and were not such as these in a saving state to have true faith in the Lord Jesus and be compleat in him is not this a saving state And now the Apostle goeth on further to shew what these believers had received from Christ how your hearts were circumcised by the circumcision that Christ is the worker of which is no other but the true regeneration of the spirit and verse 13. saith how they were quickned together with Christ and all their trespasses forgiven them if to be thus be not a saving state I know not what is and let this Author have a care of misinterpreting Scripture in this manner wresting the Scriptures to make out his notions of his images and thus calling light darknesse calling true regeneration and the faith of Gods elect but common grace Page 191. He saith those that are in the first image have writ out in the fleshly table of their hearts a conformity to that image of God that shines forth in the flesh of Christ and this is their sanctification and there and page 192. he