Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n
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A26316
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Actual justification rightly stated containing a true narrative of a sad schism made in a church of Christ, at Kilby in Leicester-shire, proving, none of the elect are actually justified before faith.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing A459; ESTC R3827
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24,143
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28
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Your not being able to distinguish between the Duty and the Grace by which Men are enabled to perform the Duty causeth your Mistakes and to take an Offence where none is given Is it not by Grace that we Choose Christ and is it not as true He Chooses those that Choose Him Prov. 8. 17. I Love them that Love me So James 4. 8. Draw nigh unto God and he will Draw nigh unto you So Zachary 1. 3. Turn you unto me and I will Turn to you Is it not by Grace that we love Christ and is it not as true that he Loves them that Love him Is it not by Grace if any Draws nigh to God and is it not 〈◊〉 true That God Draws nigh to such Is it not by Grace that any Turn to God and is it not as true That God will Turn to such that Turn to him That Crime in these words you Charge me with You 〈…〉 y as well charge upon those Holy Texts I have Cited as to be Offended at the Words you say I Spoke But as the Arminians by the Duty destroy the Grace so you by a Pretence to the Grace destroy the Duty Such is your Ignorance and Folly 3. You say I said from 2. Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a New Creature That it was not Election nor the Purpose of God which caused us to be in Christ but being Formed of God Regenerated and Born again Ans In this you wrong me for I never thought that Election or the Purpose of God was no cause at all of our being in Christ but I have often Affirmed That our Election and the Purpose of God is the Efficient and Antecedent cause of our being in Christ For we were Elected from Eternity but our Ingrafting into Christ is in Time or else How could we be said to be out of Christ before calling Also How could Junia and Andronicus be in Christ before Paul Rom. 16. 7. And the Ephesians be said to be sometimes without Christ Ephes 2. 12. That at that time you were without Christ yet Paul's and the Ephesians Election took place as soon as June's and Andronicus 2. If we were in Christ as soon as we were Elected then we could not be Guilty of Original Sin when we came into the World for there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Rom. 8. 1. But it is Evident that by Adam's Sin Judgment came upon all Men to Condemnation Rom 5. 18. And all the World as they stand in the first Adam all are Guilty before God Rom 3. 19. So that it is for want of Distinguishing between Election as the fore-runner of our being in Christ and our Actual being in him that causeth your Mistakes As for the Purpose of God it will be more cleared up by what I shall say upon this Point Gods Purpose in it's own Nature cannot be the immediate Actual doing of the thing Purposed but the Purpose of Necessity must be Antecedent to the thing Purposed or else the Purpose is Destroyed And so God Purposed to make the World from Eternity but the World was not made from Eternity but in time So God Purposed to call a certain Number into the Fellowship of his Son 1 Cor. 1. 9. And hence Believers are said to be called According to his Purpose Rom. 8. 28. Rom. 9. 11. So that it is evident That God's Purpose was Antecedent to our Calling or else it could not be said We were called according to his Purpose So that from hence I conclude That a Man may be in the Election and Purpose of God and yet at present be no New Creature and so not in Christ For if any Man be in Christ he is a New Creature And to say that any Man is in Christ before he is a New Creature is to give the Text the Lye and to destroy the Doctrine of Christ about Regeneration and to suppose a Person may be in Christ and not Regenerate this must of Necessity run you into a desparate Absurdity on the Right-Hand or the Left For if you say a Person may be in Christ and not Regenerated then a Person may be Saved and not Regenerated This is to give Christ the Lye who said Except a Man be Born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven And if you say a Man may be in Christ and not Regenerated and so not Capable to Enter into the Kingdom of God then a Man may be 〈…〉 Christ and at the same time be in a Perishing state this is 〈…〉 give the Apostles the Lye Rom 8. 1. There is therefore no Con 〈…〉 ation to them which are in Christ Jesus Thus those that are 〈…〉 t wilfully Blind amongst you may see your Absurdities and Mis 〈…〉 es 4. Upon Jeremiah 4. 14. O Jerusalem wash thy Heart from Wickedness that thou mayest be saved You say my whole Discourse 〈…〉 ded to put the Creature upon doing for Life and not from life and a Principle of Love and I Cited those Verses Isaiah ◠15 16. Ans I say This is absolutely False for it hath all wayes been 〈…〉 trary to my Principles to Preach Duties from any such foundations neither am I so weak to think that a Dead thing 〈…〉 n work for Life before there can be either Motion or Action Neither did any of you hear me say as you Affirm but in our Judgments you thought my Discourse tended to what 〈…〉 u say and all the Reason you seem to give is because 〈…〉 cited Isaiah 1. 15 16. So that you seem to cast the same Re 〈…〉 lections upon the Prophet and the Holy Ghost speaking by him that you cast upon me and doth not the Apostle James speak the same thing with the Prophet James 4. 8. Cleanse your Hands 〈…〉 Sinners and Purifie your Hearts ye Double-minded Men. 5. You said that I said The Law ought to be Preached before the Gospel to convince sinners of their sins which is contrary to that is said The Spirit shall Convince the World of sin Answer That the Law doth convince of sin is evident Romans 7. 7. and Romans 1. 3. 19. That Sin is the Transgression of the Law is as plain 1 John 3. 4. Thus by the Scripture it is Undeniable that the Law convinces Sinners of Sin and that it might to be Preached I Prove 1. From the Doctrin of Repentance and 2. From the Prophets and Apostles Practice 1. From the Doctrin of Repentance I Argue thus That if the Doctrin of Repentance ought to be Preached every were then they that Preach the Doctrin of Repentance to the People must first tell them what they must Repent off But the Doctrin of Repentance ought to be every were Preached Luke 24. 47. Therefore those that Preach to the People must first acquaint the People with what they ought to Repent off if there is no Law to be Preached then there is no sin Rom. 4. 15. And if there is no
Actual Justification RIGHTLY STATED CONTAINING A True NARRATIVE OF A SAD SCHISM Made in a Church of CHRIST at KILBY in LEICESTER-SHIRE PROVING none of the ELECT are Actually Justified before FAITH GAL. II. XVI We have Believed in Jesus Christ that we might be Justisied by the Faith of Christ c. LONDON Printed by B. Harris in Maiden-Head-Court in Great East Ch 〈…〉 and Sold by J. Marshal at the Bible in Grace-church street 1696. THE INTRODUCTION Proving There is no Actual Justification or Actual Vnion with CHRIST before FAITH THose many Errors that abound among us is one of the sad Evils of these Times which tend to make our Dayes Perillous tho' I must Confess some of them are more Dangerous and Pernicious than others as the Socinian Erors that ut 〈…〉 ly Destroy the Foundation of Christianity And evident it is That between the Socinian Arminian and Baxterian Errors on the â—ne hand and those called Antinomian Errors tho' I do not call them Antinomians on the other hand Christ seems to be again Crucified in his Holy Doctrin as in his Sacred Body he was Cruâ—ified between two Thieves The Error that is here Confuted appertains to those last Menti 〈…〉 ed in which you will find what hard Measure the Author hath met with from some of his Flock who charged him with False Do ‑ 〈…〉 rin but how Unjustly will appear in this Narrative The Point that he strives to Oppose is this Viz. That an Elect Person is not in actual Vnion with Christ nor actually Justified in God's Sight before Faith Or doth actually apprehend and apply the Righteousness and Merits of Christ by Faith to his own Soul 1. He doth not say Faith Justifies as 't is a Sacred Habit or Act 〈…〉 ch less in respectâ— of the Fruits and Effects of it 2. Nor that 't is the matter of our Justification but 't is said to Juâ—tify only in Respect of the Object Christ Jesus whom the Soul ap 〈…〉 ehends or receives by Faith Christ's Righteousness only being the Material Cause of our Justification and the Imputation of it the Formal Cause thereof Which our Reverend Brother asserts is not Imputed unto any Adult Person tho' Elected to his actual Justification before he is Actually or Personally United to Jesus Christ aud therefore not in Actual Union with Christ and Justified from Eternity as some say nor from the Death of Christ as others say 3. He stedfastly Believes God's Election of particular Persons from Everlasting for whom he gave his own Son to Die And that the Election of the Father the Redemption of the Son and the Application and Sanctification of the Holy Ghost are of Equal extent 4. That Christ Dyed as the great Representive common Head Root and Surety of all the Elect doing and Suffering in their Room and Stead whatsoever he did and Suffered 〈◊〉 as their Head and Representative and that he hath made full Satisfaction to the Justice of God and answered all the demands of the Law for them So that all they for whom Christ dyed shall certainly be Saved as an act of Justice and Righteouiness as well as an Act of Sovereign Grace and Goodness 5. That Faith by which the Soul apprehends Christ is a Grace of the Spirit purchased by Christ and freely given to us as a sign of God's Eternal Love Moreover he and we with him distinguish or explain Union with Christ and Justification thus 1. That all the Chosen of God are Decretively Justified c. from Eternity 2. Vertually at the Death or rather at the Resurrection of our blessed Saviour 3. Yet that no Adult Elect Person is really and Actually in Vnion with Christ and Actually Justified before he doth Believe in him And so is transplanted out of the first Adam as a common Head and implanted into the second Adam It being impossible any should stand in or grow out of two cwo common Roots at one and the same time since all as considered Actually in the first are Dead and under Condemnation and all that are Actually in the Second are made Alive and brought into Justification and declared free for ever from Condemnation Rom 8. 1. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his That is Actually his tho' many of them may be in the Election of Grace As touching the Sins of the Elect before Faith we say they are charged upon them by the Law under which they remain till they Believe or are United by the Spirit unto their blessed Covenanting Head and are by the same Law with other Unbelievers under the Sentence of Condemnation tho' their Justification Pardon and Salvation is secured for them by God's eternal Election and in Christ by Vertue of his Covenant Transactions with the Father and as 〈…〉 ed by his Blood and Merits As to the Sins of the Elect after Grace or Actual Union tho' 〈…〉 ey are Required to Repent of them and may not have the Sense 〈…〉 Pardon of them in in their own Consciences till then yet the 〈…〉 lt of them is never Charged upon them Christ having born all 〈…〉 Vindictive Wrath due to all their Sins as well those committed 〈…〉 Faith as before they Believed otherwise it could not be said 〈…〉 is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 〈…〉 Therefore whatsoever Mr. Coleman says about the Sins of Believers 〈…〉 Repentance and Pardon he doth not Believe they are ever 〈…〉 in a state of Condemnation Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of 〈…〉 's Elect that is such Elect ones that are united to Christ 〈…〉 Justification is but one Act 't is never more nor less after we are 〈…〉 d to Christ or are in a state of Grace Tho' Sanctification as 〈…〉 s is a progressive Work yet so is not our Justification there can 〈…〉 no breach made on that any more than in our Adoption once a Child 〈…〉 ever a Child Now the Notions we oppose are these following 〈…〉 1. We say The Sins of all the Elect while they remain in Vnbe 〈…〉 are charged upon them by the Law and that the Righteousness of 〈…〉 rist is not actually imputed to them until they do believe in Jesus 〈…〉 i st 'T is one thing for God to Purpose or Decree to discharge an 〈…〉 t Sinner through Christ's perfect Righteousness and Satisfaction 〈…〉 another thing for him actually to acquit discharge and pronounce 〈…〉 Justified by the Application of Christ's Merits Now the asserters 〈…〉 the contrary Notion do seem to say that neither God's Justice nor his 〈…〉 y Law doth charge Sin on any Elect Person tho' under the power of Vnbelief and vile and profane Persons see Mr. Ayre Vindi 〈…〉 Justificationes Gratuitae last Impression p. 94. 95. He asserts 〈…〉 all the Elect before Conversion and Faith stand actually recon 〈…〉 to God and Justified before him Page 45. Nay from â—ternity 〈…〉 31. Ans May we not find a