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A65867 The glory of Christ's light within expelling darkness being the sum of the controversie between the people called Quakers, and some of the non-conformist priests, as manifest at two publick disputes in Essex : between George Whitehead (called a Quaker) and Stephen Scandret (Presbyter) being at the latter dispute assisted with five more of his brethren, the priests, to wit, Nathaniel Barnard, Henry Havers, Henry Coleman, Nath. Ball, and Robert Billoes : wherein are several. Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723. 1669 (1669) Wing W1930; ESTC R39125 35,191 47

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Righteousness of Faith without Sanctification S. S. Who affirms they are we own that Justified Persons are Sanctified But in contradiction he again affirmed thus We Sinners are Justified by the Righteousness of Christ imputed viz. Absolved from all our Sins from the beginning of our lives to the end Reply This gives a large Liberty to sin if men may sin all their dayes and yet think themselves absolved from all whereas that of Rom. 3. 25. which they instanced is thus concerning Christ viz. Whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood to declare his Righteousness for the Remission of Sins that are past through the forbearance of God It is not said for the remission of sins past present and to come nor yet of all our sins from the beginning of our Lives to the end neither is the guilt of sin taken away while men remain in the act of sin as falsly was affirmed by S. S. contrary to Job 10. 14. If I sin then thou markest me and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity And to be sure men whilst Sinners are not made Righteous nor yet in a Sanctified state while actually Sinfull for while our Opposers confess that Justification and Sanctification are inseparable and that we are not Justified without the work of Sanctification in us how do they break the Neck of their own Cause in their pleading That men are imputatively Righteous and Justified and actively Sinfull This is a pleasant conceit to sooth up Hypocrites but when they come to see and feel the end of this Doctrine to be destruction they will not be able to sooth themselves up with it in Hell nor to tell God then that though they be really in Hell yet they are imputatively in Heaven this their imagined imputation without the Living enjoyment of the Righteousness of Faith within or the Fellowship of Christ's Sufferings will not save them from the sence of Anguish and Torment when it comes upon them that live and die in their sins S. S. I prove that the Righteousness by which we are saved is not within but without the Saints were arrayed in White Robes and are not thy Garments outward George Do we not wear our Cl●thes on our Bodies you do not wear your Garments within you but without you c. Reply This is such an Argument as we never heard nor read of before because the Righteousness of Christ is compared to a Garment or to White Robes he concludes it not within but without it appears he will let sin have a place within and plead for it but not Christ's Righteousness Doth he think it is his Garment while he 'll not receive it within Surely he 's gr●sly mistaken And might he not as well say that Christ and the Armour of God or Light is not to be within because to be put on and then after this manner he may as well say that neither Faith nor Salvation nor the Word of God are to be within but without only which were gross Error and Ignorance for the Meek are clothed with Salvation the Upright put on Zeal for a Cloak and Righteousness for a Garment Are not these within surely yes where Truth reigns in the heart VI. Here follows some of S. S. his manifest Contradictions for the Readers to take notice of Contraditions We are to turn our backs upon the Light within as insufficient and follow the Scriptures as the full Rule c. It is by the Spiritual enlightning of the understanding that the Scriptures are known In his Prayer Grant O Lord that Error may be burnt up by thy holy Spirit as by fire c. Contr. The Scriptures are the only Rule to guide us to Heaven c. I mean the Will of God contained in them not the Writings abstractively Contr. The Light that is in every man is not a full Rule Yet a Light of the Spirit of God Contr. We Sinners are justified by the Righteousness of Christ imputed or absolved from all our sins from the beginning of our lives to the end Justification is to make Righteous it is by the Righteousness of Faith justified persons are Sanctified Contr. The guilt of our sins is taken away not the act of sin His Brother Priest contradicted him viz. Men are not actually Sinners after Justification contradiction yet they sin c. Contradictions Believers are Justified by the passive Obedience of Christ upon Earth that is by both his outward and inward Suffering not by his Righteousness within Yet we are not justified without the work of Sanctification in us He hath brought in Everlasting Righteousness Christ's passive Obedience or Sufferings on Earth were temporary Contr. This Light that is in every man doth not dictate that Justification is by Christ's Righteousness only Yet it is a Light of the Spirit of God the Spirit makes application to us of Christ's Everlasting Righteousness Robert Ludgater William Allen Jo. Furly jun. John Childe Giles Barnadiston George Witherley A Brief and Scriptural Examination of the Doctrine Concerning Election and Reprobation of Persons as held by Presbyterians and some others ANd now concerning that private Opinion of Personal Election and Reprobation from all Eternity held by Presbyterian Priests and some others related to them their Principle may be seen in their Confession of Faith and Catechisms agreed on by the Assembly of Divines so called at Westminster and approved by the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland as where they say in their third Chapter of their Confession That God from all Eternity did by the most wise and holy Counsel of his own will freely and unchangeable ordain whatsoever comes to pass and that by the Decree of God for the manifestation of his Glory some men and Angels are predestinated unto Everlasting Life and others fore-ordained unto Everlasting Death and that these Angels and Men thus predestinated and fore-ordained are particularly and unchangeably design'd and their number so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or diminished c. And also upon the same Principle they add in Chapter ten That all those whom God hath predestinated unto Life and those only he is pleased effectually to call by his Word and Spirit out of the State of Sin and Death in which they are by nature to Grace and Salvation by Jesus Christ enlightning their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God c. And in Chapter eleven God did from all Eternity decree to Justifie all the Elected and Christ did in the fulness of time die for their sins and rise again for their Justification c. Observe that it is upon this Opinion of a particular Personal Election and Reprobation of such certain designed number of persons that these Priests and Professors do ground their Doctrine of Saving-Grace or Light being but intended and given to a few whom they suppose are designed for Salvation as also that Grace is only free for that few
Flock whereupon the Episcopal Priest is contented to let them drive a trade under his Nose But now you who are the Followers and Hearers and Benefactors these cunning creeping Priests you should do well to try them a little be not too free of your purses to them lest afterward you repent of it for we do not believe that many of them are so consciencious as to scruple conforming to the Common-Prayer if they had but a dead trade among you or were put upon trial for now you have fed them so full and fat that they make such a vapour and blustering against us who have been the Sufferers and whom they know in stormy times have endured the storms and born the heat and the blows very much from them when they have skulkt and crept into holes and corners and very few of them durst shew their heads in any Testimony for God or Christ but have been ready to run away out at back-doors or over the houses rather then be taken prisoners though now they can in their Meetings Houses and Barns most unworthily and unjustly rail against and revile us called Quakers and grosly pervert and misrepresent our Principles vilifying and reproaching the Truth that we profess concerning the Light of Christ that is in every man and the sufficiency of it but it is set over all their heads and the Truth hath confounded and shattered them for they were commonly wont to tell people it was but a natural light the light of a natural Conscience a created light but now this their representative S. S. hath confest that it is a spiritual Light yea a Light of the Spirit of God that is in every man so what he hath asserted to the contrary in his declaring it insufficient and bidding people turn their backs upon it is all against the Spirit of God and the Light of it wherein his folly and confutation is so signally discovered that he and the rest that owned him have neither cause now to boast nor yet to urge for any more meetings with any of us nor we much so regard them except that we should order some of our women Friends to dispute with them for many of them are able to confute these shatter'd Priests whom the Sun is set upon and the day is become dark and the Lord is delivering many out of their mouthes and that is their torment especially when they are like to lose any of their Benefactors then they are ready to call for disputes with us and to make a bussle and stir by which they still lose and are disappointed of their ends for at the last Dispute when they would not suffer us to explain our selves or give an answer some of the people said We shall like the Quakers never the worse if you will not give them leave to speak and indeed many were then convinced so far as to see the folly and madness of this S. S. and his Assistant Priest Bernard who was there proved a manifest Lyar in interrupting G. W. contrary to his plain promise The Questions which we propounded to be disputed on before the first Dispute were three as first Whether every man be enlightned with a spiritual saving Light which we affirmed Secondly Whether Perfection be attainable in this life which we affirmed Thirdly Whether impure persons while such be justified by the imputation of Christ's Righteousness which we denied This last Question S. S. altered and stated it thus Whether Justification be by the works of the Law or by the Righteousness of Christ through Faith which Question could not in these general terms so reach the controversie between us as the Question we proposed these Priests holding That men are imputatively righteous and justified when actually Sinners and we holding the contrary That men are justified when really and actually righteous or partakers of the Righteousness of Faith in Christ wherein they are obedient to the Word or Spirit of God in their hearts to which the righteousness of Faith requires obedience and we further affirm that it is a false imputation to reckon men righteous or just whilst they are really or personally unrighteous and unjust for the Faith that was reckoned to Abraham and by which the Believers are justified is a Living Faith that purifieth the heart and that is accompanied with those works of obedience which answer the Law of Faith in the heart Moreover to these Questions before S. S. added three more as in the first place Whether the Scriptures are not to be our Rule of Life to which we affirmed Not the Writings but the thing written of to wit the same that was the Saints Rule in all Ages or the Spirit and Light of Christ within which gave forth the Scriptures and brings to the right understanding true use and fulfilling of them and without which Light people cannot truly understand them Then S. S. added for the two last Queries viz. Whether Baptism with water be an Ordinance of Christ which he affirmed though he durst not tell us whether Babes or Believers were to be the Subjects of it or whether he were a true administrator of it for when G. W. in a Letter would have put him to prove his call to the Ministry and whether he own'd immediate Revelation in these dayes he must have George to prove his call first thus he shuffled And then his last Question was Whether the Lords Supper be not an Ordinance of Christ binding us this Question we got not to to discuss nor did he explain what he meant by the Lords Supper howbeit he hath told G. W. in a paper That this Light within doth not dictate that Baptism by water is Gods Will nor that we ought to celebrate the Lords Supper c. So that you the Hearers and Followers of this S. S. may take notice that if he does celebrate as he Popishly saith and delivers to you Bread and Wine and tell you it is the Lords Supper he is not led to it by the dictates of the Light within which he hath confest to be the Light of the Spirit of God and therefore we may conclude his pretended Celebration and Ordinance not binding to us because the Light of the Spirit of God does not enjoyn us to it for we must worship in the newness of the Spirit and we know the Spirit of Truth leads into all Truth so that what is of Truth the Light dictates to us and therefore we must not follow Priest S. S. his darkness for our Dictator or Guide Secondly If sprinkling Infants be a part of his Trade in houses and corners you may understand that the Light of the Spirit of God doth not dictate it unto him and therefore you will be exceeding blind and dark if you give your selves to be bound to submit to his darkness or to any of his impositions which are neither Scriptural nor Spiritual therefore we caution you not to follow such dark and blind Guides and not to turn your
his Love and good will tendred in Christ who was not an Offering only for some Presbyterians or a few as they imagine but for the whole World though none do experimentally enjoy the good end of Christ's coming Sacrifice and Blood but such as receive him to believe in follow and obey him as the Author of Eternal Salvation to as many as obey him S. S. A justified state is attended with Sanctification what Righteousness is that which justifies Answ. First it is a true confession that a justified state is sanctified and therefore men are not justified nor made righteous while unsanctified and this confutes much of these mens Doctrine for an imputed Justification of men in their sins Secondly the Righteousness which justifies renders true Believers both Righteous Just and accepted of God is the Righteousness of Faith it is spiritual inwardly and spiritually received in the obedience of the Spirit of Holiness of Faith and Power of God it is an everlasting Righteousness not of self nor yet imperfect nor yet an imagination of an imputation to men in sin but it is inwardly revealed in such in whom the Image of God is renewed and not in them who are in old Adam in the fall S. S. Though Christ's Suffering was temporary his active and passive obedience was the only thing that redeemed our Souls and that the Righteousness within had no hand to exempt us from wrath Answ. What is the tendency of this Doctrine but to shut Christ out of doors and not to suffer him place in his people whilst his Righteousness within is so little valued whereas Christ is made unto the true Believers Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption And know ye not that Christ is in you except you be Reprobates and did not his active and passive obedience in his Person bare witness unto that Spirit of Holiness and Righteousness within by which he offered up himself and though Christ's Suffering on the Cross was temporary yet the Righteousness of Faith still remains and the blessed effect of his Suffering and Sacrifice is therein enjoyed by true Believers in Light and we neither go about to establish self-righteousness nor works of Self for Justification as S. S. seemed falsly to insinuate in his preachment at the latter end to which he would not stay to receive an Answer but gat away in the crowd and he needed not have told us that God will not acquit the guilty it was a Doctrine more proper to himself and his Brethren for to be sure they are deeply guilty who dispute for sin and imperfection all their dayes wherein God will not clear nor acquit them And such who are found in Christ and his Righteousness not having their own are not found disputing and pleading for the Devil's Work as these men are nor yet shutting Christ or his Righteousness out of people but are really partakers of that Everlasting Righteousness wherein both Redemption Justification and Acceptance with the Lord is enjoyed by them that are Sanctified by the Spirit and Power of God and Restored out of the faln state up to Christ who is made unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. Thus far we have in plainness for the information of the Readers returned an Answer to S. S. his chief Principles which were more fully discoursed of at the first Dispute in which you may see how defective he was as he afterward confessed as also that he hath not amended his Matter at the second Dispute but made it worse Here follows some of Stephen Scandret his Principles asserted by him and owned by the other Priests with him at the Second Dispute which was on the 1st of the 5th Moneth 1669. upon some of the same Questions disputed on at the former I. FIrst concerning the Scriptures and the Light within S. S. said The main Difference between those called Quakers and us in this is as judge here we set up the Scriptures as the only Rule to Guide to Heaven and Glory they the Light within they own the Scriptures so far as they agree with the Light within we own the Light within so far as it agrees with the Scriptures The Scriptures are the only Rule and most pretious and not the Light within we are to turn our backs upon the Light within as being insufficient c. The Scriptures are a full Rule and ●ully sufficient for Salvation let him affirm the same of the Light within if he dare The Scriptures are the infallible Rule a trying Light a binding Rule let him affirm the same of the Light wi●hin if h● dare Answ. Here are several Affirmations laid down but no proofs remember what thou did'st acknowledge and confess at our last Dispute concerning the universallity of the Light within that it might be a Rule where the Scriptures were not and also didst grant that it was spiritual the Light of the Spirit of God but now it may be seen plainly that thou goest about to set up the Scriptures above the Spirit of God which gave them forth And now we do affirm that the Light of Christ within is both a certain infallible trying Light and binding Rule to all them the Children of the Light and every one that love it both doth and dare so own it and confess to it as that certain manifesting Rule and Guide whereby things that are reproved are made manifest and they that love it bring their deeds to it that they may be proved whether they are wrought in God and such do not give nor own such sinful advise to people as to turn their backs on the Light as this Blind-Guide who shuts his eyes as one opposing plain conviction hath done who after he had so highly asserted the Scriptures or Writings to be the only Rule which leads to Salvation he confessed that he did not mean the Scriptures or Writings abstractively to be the Rule but the Will of God contained or declared of in them wherein he contradicted himself for this alters both the state of the Question and Assertion for whilest he laid all upon the Scriptures this tended to shut out all people under Heaven from Salvation Life and Glory but such as have the Scriptures which is a sad and prejuditial censure but now seeing it is not the Writing but the Matter or Thing declared of that is the Rule the Light of Christ within must be the standing universal Rule for that is declared of and referred to by the Scriptures so that to follow the Light within in what it dictates is agreeable and not repugnant to Scripture as is falsly insinuated by this Opposer Moreover the things declared of or contained in the Scriptures relating to the Will of God and to Life and Salvation may be enjoyed where the Writings are not for there were Gentiles instructed by the Will or Spirit of God who had not the Law outward as in Rom. 2. therefore this Spirit or Light of God is greater or more universal
it was to the Saints and true Believers of old who according to their several attainments were to walk by the same Rule and God would reveal to them Phil 3 16. and they had attained to divers measures and degrees of the Spirit of God and accordingly their states were written unto in several Epistles that which was to one state was not to every particular state and condition among the Churches neither do we read that the Church at Gorinth was to go and make the Epistle to the Church at Rome their Rule nor that the Churches at Ephesus Philippi or Thessalonia were to go to the Corinthians for Paul's Epistles to them to compare theirs with and to be their Rule but that of the Spirit or Light within to which they were all directed and which was the Rule of the new Creature whereby the things of God were revealed and made known unto the Saints who could say we have not received the Spirit of this World but the Spirit which is of God whereby we know those things that are freely given us of God III. S. S. Go Baptiz● there is a Command for it the Light saith nothing of it Go Teach and Baptize that 's Christs Command And then he urged to have us speak to Water Baptism but durst not declare who he intended as the Subjects of it whether Babes or Believers which G. W. and some of us often urged to know whereupon if he had told us ingeniously his intention we proffered fairly to dispute it but S. S. and his Brethren durst not be plain with us in this matter but shuffled and evaded calling out over and over Do ye grant Baptism with water Go Baptize with water water c. You Rebels you Rebels go Baptize you Rebels can Rebels be saved c. Thus and after this manner he continued bawling and railing for some time that little fair dealing we could have Answ. Go teach all Nations baptizing them cannot intend Infants neither is there water mentioned in the Command Matth. 28. And it was proffered these Priests that if they would stand for Baptizing Infants or Plunging Believers we would dispute that with them Or if S. S. would be plain and ingeniously tell us in what capacity he stood in whether in the capacity of a Popish Priest Episcopal Priest Presbyterian Priest or Baptist but hereunto we could have no other Answer then his general clamor as before for water water c. and therefore G. W. proferred to speak something to both Sprinkling Infants and Plunging Believers to shew the rise of the one and the other not to be in force nor continuance under the Gospel but G. W. was interrupted as often he was by these Priests S. S. Water Baptism is Gospel a Dispensation of the Gospel was committed to Paul c. Answ. The Gospel is Everlasting so is not Water-Baptism and Paul said Christ sent me not to Baptize but to preach the Gospel 1 Cor 1. 17. and surely his Commission was as large as the rest of the Apostles S. S. Christ sending him not to Baptize but to Preach is meant not so much to Baptize c. as in Hosea 6. 6. it is said I desired mercy and not Sacrifice c. Reply This instance doth not prove his meaning which perverts the Apostles words who thanked God he baptized none of them but such as he mentioned 1 Corinth 14. 15 16. For Christ sent him not to Baptize but to Preach the Gospel a full reason for his not continuing that then permissive practice of Water-Baptism which if it had been a Command in force surely he would neither have thanked God for not obeying it nor yet have said Christ sent me not to Baptize And where it is said in Hosea 6. 6. I desired Mercy and not Sacrifice those mentioned verse 5 7. whom he had hewed by his Prophets who transgressed and dealt treacherously against the Lord their Sacrifice could not be accepted therefore he desired Mercy and not Sacrifice and the Knowledge of God more then Burnt-offerings and indeed if this Mercy and the Knowledge of God had born sway among them there had been no need or occasion for Sacrifices Burnt-offerings or Sin-offerings the Sacrifices of God being a broken spirit and a contrite heart Psalm 51. 16 17. S. S. Water Baptism is necessary to Salvation being affirmed to be Gospel to be binding of necessity c. Answ. What then will become of all them that never came under it Must they all be damned for want of Sprinkling or Plunging in Water A sad sentence that Baptism which saveth is not the putting away of the filth of the Flesh but the answer of a good Conscience c. Giles Barnadiston urged That there is one Faith one Baptism Ephes. 4. And asked these Priests what Baptism it was whether that of Water or the Baptism of the Spirit to which S. S. answered S. S. There is but one Baptism and it consists of two parts an inward part and an outward the inward part was with the Spirit and the outward with water Reply Did you ever read or hear such Doctrine before he makes the Baptism of the Spirit and the Baptism with outward Water both but one Baptism and so whereas he hath made such a bawling for Water-Baptism now it is but the outward part of Baptism he should rather have said as it is in the Common-Prayer-Book It is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual Grace However in Scripture there is a plain distinction between the Baptism of Water and the Baptism of the Spirit as there is between John's baptizing with Water and Christ's baptizing with the Holy Ghost and with Fire but this ignorant Opposer S. S. makes them both but one Baptism IV. And further we add an other instance against him and his Brethren in behalf of the Light within out of the Common-Prayer-Book in the Collect for the third Sunday after Easter viz. Almighty God which sheweth to all men that be in error the Light of thy Truth to the intent that they may return to the Way of Righteousness c. Now here is the Light of the Truth confest unto both in its general extent and in its sufficiency as Guide and Rule to lead men into the Way of Righteousness which these men have all this while opposed here is more of Truth confest in this particular in the Common-Prayer-Book then these men will confess to who think themselves better Reformed with their Covenant Directory Confession of Faith and Catechisms while yet in their Darkness they are opposing the Light of Truth within but it is set over all their heads and hath manifested their darkness and confusion V. Now concerning Justification the question being asked what it is it was answered Priest To make Righteous and S. S. confest That Justification is by the Righteousness of Christ through Faith Answ. That 's true but men are not Justified that is made Righteous nor in the