Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	exclude_v	faith_n	work_n	18,161	5	7.1894	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30907	William Michel unmasqued, or, The staggering instability of the pretended stable Christian discovered his omissions observed, and weakness unvailed : in his late faint and feeble animadversions by way of reply to a book intituled Truth cleared of calumnies : wherein the integrity of the Quakers doctrine is the second time justified and cleared from the reiterate, clamorous but causeless calumnies of this cavilling cetechist [sic] / by Robert Barclay.	Barclay, Robert, 1648-1690.	1672 (1672)	Wing B742; ESTC R37062	60,482	82

but he is for it According to the true sence and meaning of the Spirit And therefore it remains to prove that ours is not so His alledging from some words of Samuel Fisher Where he speaks of works having merit sayeth nothing for the question recurrs concerning the signification of the word Merit which we use in a qualified sence for we say that works are no other wayes Meritorious then as they are rewarded Merit and reward being relative terms as I told him in my last to which he returneth no answer And thus is solved Sam. Fishers using of that argument mentioned by him Page 60 to whom he foolishly supposes I cannot reconcile my self without being of a higher strain then for a reward of Merit to wit That as Condemnation is the reward of evil works so Eternal Salvation and consequently Justification is the reward of good works Now Merit in a quallified sence doth not import an absolute desert according to strict Justice as on our part but a sutableness agreableness or congruity according to these Scriptures Mat. 3. 8. Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance the Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth Moritorious or Worthy and the same Greek word is used in these other Scriptures 1 Thes. 2. 12. Walk worthy of God 2 Thes. 1. 5. That ye may be counted Worthy of the Kingdom of God And thus R. Baxter speaketh of Merit in the Book above mentioned Page 90. in a large sence saith he As promise is an obligation and the thing promised is called debt so the performers of the conditions are called Worthy and their performance Merit Though properly it is all of Grace and not of debt Moreover whereas Augustine Bernard and others of the Fathers uses the word Merit in this qualified sence W. M. and his Brethren can give it the right hand but where we use it notwithstanding we tell them the simplicity of our meaning we must be upbraided with Popery It is here observeable How he turns it to my reproach That I seem to draw neer in the least to any of the moderate sort of Papists And yet as to things wherein I charged him of affinity with them he returneth no solid answer but sayes I must not be credited Yea he plainly not onely drawes neer but fully acknowledges his agreement with them Saying They hold some things common with the Orthodox His third and fourth Section containeth not any thing of a solid reply to that which is writ from Page 36. to 44. of my last which the Reader by comparing them may easily observe He begins alledging That Rom. 3. 28. Gal. 2. 19. must exclude all works even the Works of Christ in us And that because the Apostle must be supposed to exclude either evil or good Works not evil therefore good And consequently the Works of Christ in us But as I told him in my last some Works may be good materially which proceeding not from the Spirit of God but mans own Spirit are therefore excluded And thus the case of Abraham doth not answer who though a godly-man was capable sometimes to have done Works from his own Spirit It is here observeable How he seeks to shift that which I inforce upon him from Tit. 3. 5. Alledging He mentioned it in opposition to Justification by Works as the meritorious cause thereof But of this there was not one word Where he cites in his Dialogue Pag. 20. nor doth he answer any thing for that which I infer from this Scripture showing Page 37. of my last to which I refer the Reader he having wholly omitted it that by this Scripture where the Apostle sayes According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration the Apostle includes good works as to Justification now all this he shuffles over as Insulting Triumphing words And yet notwith-standing he himself insults here as though he had found us guilty of Popery though what we say in this matter be no other then what is clearly asserted by these famous Protestants above mentioned and more particularly by R. Baxter in his Book aforesaid from Pag. 185. to the end where he sayes That we are Justified by Works in the same kind of causality as by Faith Viz. as causae sine quibus non conditions or quallifications of the new Covenant requisite on our part in order to Justification showing How the Apostle Paul in the places above mentioned excludes onely the Works of the Law from Justification and never at all the Works of the Gospel as they are the conditions of the new Covenant and there he refutes W. M's exposition upon Isa. 2. 12. As if our Justification were onely Justified by Works or we declared Just by them before men And seeing W. M. hath declared he hath so good an esteem of R. Baxter I refer him to read how he is refuted by him as being to large to be here inserted Pag. 65. 66. To overturn that which is said by me concerning the Faith Knowledg and Obedience of the Saints Pag. 38. 39. of mine But his Impertinency will be more then manifest if the Reader do but look unto the place for I shew him how faith was not alwayes attended with doubting by the example of Abraham And therefore his example of the Light and the Air is foolish for faith and doubt are not onely distinct but opposite and not mixt as is the Air and Light and a little Gold may be perfect and unmixed with dross so may little faith be perfect in its measure without doubting And though the knowledge and obedience of the Saints be not such as there can nothing be added unto or answerable to the infinite Love of God yet that doth not prove them in what they are to be defined His Answer to that Scripture brought by me 1 Joh. 3. 9. He that 's born of God sinneth not is most Impious and Antichristian as if the words imported onely He maketh not a trade of sinning for accordingly he might argue that where it is said Commit no Adultery do not Steal Murder c. it is onely understood that we ought not to make a trade of these sins but yet might practice them now and then Page 67. He addeth That as the Prophet Esa. 64. 6. saith not all our righteousness which is of thy working in us is as filthy rages so neither as we say all our righteousness which we even the best of Saints can perform of and from themselves are as filthy rags from thence infering That because of this general term all even the Righteousness of Christ in us ought to be accounted as filthy rags but for this he bringeth no proof and as the Prophet saith All so he saith Our which implyes it to be different from the Righteousness of Christ As he proceeds in the same Page he is highly confused first he sayes It ought not to make us ashamed that our Righteousness understanding that which Christ works in us are as filthy rags and

his own meer assertion Page 14. He confesseth That where we are desired to try the Spirits there is no mention of trying them by the Scripture And to my Question asking if there be any surer way of trying of Spirits then by the Spirit of God he returneth no reply but another Question Viz. Whether there be any surer way then that for which the Bereans were commended I Answer Yes by the Spirit Peter could never have discerned Ananias and Saphira by the Scripture and yet did it by the Spirit To say as he does That this was a matter of Fact and not of Doctrine and that it was extraordinary is a meer silly shift for it was onely by the Spirit of God which is so ordinary to Christians that none can be truly one without it Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his And if this Spirit can discern the secret hypocrisie of the Heart in matters of Fact far more the Errors and mistake of the Understanding in matters of Judgment which all grant to be more Obvious And though I never aver'd that John excluded all external Rules by pointing to the anointing so his assertion to say That the anointing directeth us to the Law and to the Testimony as supposing it to be outward is but to beg the thing in question already refuted Page 43. As he affirmeth That mans being deluded proceeds not from the Scripture but their own blindness so he acknowledges That falling in Delusion proceeds not from the Spirit but from the tricks and deceits of Satan and thereby he hath clearly confessed what is asserted by me Page 30. and not answered And whereas he adds That leaning to the Spirit and for sakeing the Scripture provokes God to give men up to strong delusions which he Illustrateth by the example of one I. Gilpen once a Quaker who by harkening to a voice within was put upon Mischievous and Detestable Practices I Answ. He hath not proved that we forsake the Scripture nor will one mans being deceived by harkening to a voice within prove the Spirit not to be a certain Rule more then as himself ackowledges The Pharisees having the Scripture in such high esteem and accounting them their Rule will prove their delusion proceeded from them that Story of Gilpens was largly answered about 5. years agoe by E. B. and C. A. who have laid open his Deceit and Wickedness neither can any of these Rediculous Pranks granting the matter to be true which he pretended to doe by a voice within while appearing to be among us prove the insufficiency of that Light we Preach or the hazard of following it more then his Beastly Drunkness and open Prophanity naturally known in the Garison of Carlile where he was a Souldier proves he was led by the Scripture which it is like he then pretended was his Rule unto these wicked practices which were the best fruits of that Repentance W. M. seems so much to congratulate in him Such filthy Dross whom God purgeth out from among us are fittest persons to be Proselited by him and his Brethren and truly we are well rid of them and can heartily spare such unto them They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us 1 Joh. 2. 16. Pag. 43. He sayes That though the Scripture be sufficient for discovering of Delusions and ending of differencs in genere objecti yet the Spirit is necessary in genere causae affectivae Now this necessity of the Spirit he saith himself Is that we may be right discerners for removeing our natural depravedness and now granting the Scripture were sufficient in this manner will it therefore follow that the Spirit within is not the Rule which was the thing to prove in this Section in so far as he acknowledges this necessity of the Spirits work he hath yeilded to the Truth yet it is observable how in contradiction to the Truth he overturns it all again Pag. 47. 48. Where he expresly pleads For Preaching upon and using the Scriptures without the joynt Concurrance of the Spirit alledging I have no ground to say they ought not so to do then consider first he said The Spirit was necessary to Remove the depravedness of our nature that we might be discerners but now he sayes we ought to use the Scripture without the Spirit though our nature be depraved yea though we be in no capacity to make a right discerning and here he hath notably manifested his affinity with the Jesuits Arminians Socinians Pelagians and Semipelagians in saying How many cold hearts have been Rubbed and Chaffed unto Spiritual hear by reading and talking of the Scripture For is not this to set nature a work and to grant a capacity in man to beget Spiritual heat without the joynt Concurrence of the Spirit and this is alltogether agreeable to that known Maxim of the Semipelagians facienti quod in se est deus non denegat gratiam God will not deny him Grace that doth what in him lies And hereby the Intelligent Reader may perceive how much nearer a kin our Adversaries are to these Errors then we notwithstanding they so falsly and frequently brand us with them in their Pulpits and elswhere as also that it is meerely constraint when they are hardly put to it that they now and then and that in contradiction to themselves let a word or two drop concerning a necessary Work of the Spirit Sect. 4. Pag. 45. He alledgeth There is no convincing People by this Rul●●f the Spirit within because each way may pretend to the guidence of his Spirit and so both remain obstinate adding That according to them the Scripture is the rule which lieth patent to both parties and though it do not actually convince the stuborn yet there is enough in it to satisfie any Inqusitive Adversary Answ. And is not that Spirit sufficen to satisfie any Inquisitive Adversary that 's willing to be undeceived which searcheth all things even the deep things of God There is no inconvenience can be pressed from making the Spirit a Rule or Guide but the same recurs by making the Scripture one for is it not laid claim unto by Persons quite different in Judgment yea both sometimes to one verse and will have it speak opposite to the other if it be said that Scripture being compared explaines it self has not such as have so compared been found uncessantly to jangle even in their comparing of it And this W. M. cannot deny but this hath been because one or both parties hath been estranged from the true Testimony of the Spirit What is then the Ultimate Recorse that can onely resolve all doubts even concerning the meaning of the Scripture but the certain Testimony of the Spirit for if the Scriptures be onely certain because they came from the