Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	john_n	sin_n	transgression_n	6,343	5	10.8416	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47599	The marrow of true justification, or, Justification without works containing the substance of two sermons lately preached on Rom. 4:5 ... : wherein the nature of justification is opened, as it hath been formerly asserted by all sound Protestants, and the present prevailing errors against the said doctrine detected / by Benjamin Keach ...	Keach, Benjamin, 1640-1704.	1692 (1692)	Wing K76; ESTC R18579	45,425	50

which the Apostle preaches you must come to Christ believe on Christ as Sinners as Ungodly ones and not as Righteous not as Saints and Holy persons The whole need not a Physician but they that are sick The Thief on the Cross as a Sinner cry'd out Lord remember me c. and the Jaylor as a Sinner cry'd out Sirs what must I do to be saved So much as to the Explanation of the Terms of the Text in which you have three parts 1. A Negative Proposition But to him that worketh not 2. An Affirmative Proposition But believeth on him that justifies the ungodly 3. The Conclusion from hence His faith is counted or imputed for Righteousness The Observations I shall take notice of from the Words shall be but two 1 Doct. That all Works done by the Creature are quite excluded in point of Justification of a Sinner in the sight of God 2. Doct. That Justification is wholly of the free Grace of God through the Imputation of the perfect Righteousness of Jesus Christ by Faith I purpose to begin with the first of these Points of Doctrine and then come to speak to the second 1. But before I proceed I shall shew you divers false and erroneous Principles which Men have sucked in in and about the great Doctrine of Justification 2. I shall then prove the Point viz. That all Works done by the Creature are quite excluded in point of Justification of a Sinner in God's sight 1. I shall begin with the Papists who hold that Men are Justified by inherent Righteousness by Good Works and not by Faith only affirming Good Works to be meritorious or that Men thereby deserve Eternal Life nay ●hat a Man may perfectly fulfil the Law of God though he cannot live without Sin But to mend the matter Bellarmine's Argument is That Venial Sins of which he denies not that all are guilty yet they do not hinder a Man from ●eeping the Law perfectly The foolishness of which distinction is easily ●iscerned for if they be Sins which he calls Venial then they are the Transgression of the Law and he that transgresses the Law doth not keep it perfectly but contrariwise breaks it and so is accursed cast and condemned by 〈◊〉 But they affirm that a Man may not only by his Good Works merit for himself but also may do more than is commanded or may do Works of ●upererogation or do more than his Duty 2. The second sort I shall mention are the Socinians who deny the Deity of the Son of God and from hence deny also the Satisfaction of Christ because the latter depends upon the former It was from the dignity and excellency of Christ's Person he being God as well as Man that his Sacrifice ●ad such infinite value and worth in it that by one single payment as I may 〈◊〉 say he made such a full compensation to the Law and Justice of God But ●●ey erring in those two grand Points of Christian Religion run into the ●hird and deny the imputation of Christ's Personal righteousness to us in ●ustification And indeed it seems to me that this sort of Men assert that Justification of the Sinner is nothing more than God's pardoning him freely by ●is Mercy and that only as a simple act of his own Mercy and Grace without ●espect had to the Satisfaction made for our Sins by Jesus Christ by which act of God's pardoning Grace they affirm the guilt of Sin that binds the Sinner ●ver to punishment is taken off and so he is acquitted and delivered from Eternal Wrath but could this be admitted which they affirm why should God ●end his beloved Son into the World to be a Sacrifice for Sin For could not God without that Glorious Fruit of his infinite Goodness have pardoned and acquitted us and never have suffered his Son to have underwent such pain and ●orrow for us which indeed he did 3. Another sort there be which are those called Arminians of which ●here are many of late Times I find one of them does affirm That though the Works of the Law are excluded from justifying the Sinner in the sight of God yet Gospel Works are not So that they ●nclude Love to God Acts of Mercy and other Gospel Duties and Obedience in ●oint of Justification as well as Faith or joyn Good Works done under the Gospel and Faith together and this plainly appears by what Mr. William Allen hath wrote in his Book called A Glass of Justification See p. 18. These are his Words viz. It is no where neither in Words nor Sence said but he that ●oveth not but believeth on him that Justifieth 〈◊〉 Vngodly his Faith is counted to him for righteousness Sure this Man forgot that Love to God was one great thing the Law commanded Were not the Israelites or the People of the Jews under the Law to do all they did in Love to God Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy strength c. He proceeds to blame our Protestant Writers in asserting Justification by Faith alone without Works Brethren although we do not oppose Faith to Love as if Faith that is of the right Kind can be without Love to God yet we say 't is Faith and not Works not love nor Deeds of Mercy nor any other Gospel Duties or Obedience that is counted to us for righteousness And why to Faith only Because that Grace only carries us out of our selves to another for righteousness i. e. to Jesus Christ 4. The same sort affirm Faith doth Justifie the Sinner as far as I can gather as it is the act of the Creature God accepting of that internal act of the Soul according to his good pleasure to Justification not having respect so to the Object of Faith as that the matter thereof is Christ perfect righteousness and the form or formal Cause of it the Imputation thereof to such who believe in Jesus but that it hath pleased God to appoint or ordain Faith in respect of it self to that end and purpose namely to Justifie the Sinner Of this sort are the Dutch Arminians in pursuance of their main Doctrine of Free Will they exalt Man's Works and therefore affirm that he is Justified not by Christ's righteousness but by his own Faith God having required of him instead of full Obedience to the Law of Works that now he should believe on his Son and that for so doing he should be Justified and saved as he should have been before for perfect Obedience So that with this sort as one observes Faith is that righteousness for which we are Justified before God Moreover they tell us that Faith is a belief of the Truth of the Gospel so as to live according to it thus it includeth and not excludeth Works and that Faith and Works or Obedience to the Gospel is our righteousness for which we are Justified and saved At the same time you must remember that they do not

Righteousness of Christ be not the matter of our Justification or that which does Justifie us in God's sight and on the other Hand 't is impossible if we are Justified and accepted as just Persons and graciously acquitted by the Righteousness of Christ there should be the least stain imperfection or spot in our Justification but that Christ must needs say of such in respect of Justification as he doth of his Spouse Thou art all fair my Love and there is no spot in thee Cant. 4. 7. And how should it be otherwise since therewas no spot nor blemish found in him Mr. Baxter in his Fourth Proposition in his Preface to D. Tully saith that this Condition viz. the Covenant of Grace by which we have right to the benefits of it is our Faith mark it or Christianity as it is meant by Christ in the Baptismal Covenant viz. to give up our selves in Covenant believing in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost renouncing the contraries and that though this consent to the Christian Covenant called Faith alone be the full Condition of our first Right to the Benefit of that Covenant of which Justification is one yet obediential Performances and Conquest of Temptations and Perseverance are secondary parts of the Condition of our Right as continued and consummated he saith for Faith to be imputed to us for righteousness Rom. 4. 22 23 24. Is plainly meant that God who under the Law of Innocency required perfect Obedience of us to Justification and Glorification upon the Satisfaction and Merits of Christ hath freely given a full Pardon and Right to Life to all true Believers so that now by the Covenant of Grace nothing is required of us to our Justification but Faith all the rest being done by Christ and so Faith in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost is reputed truly to be the condition on our part on which Christ and Life by that Baptismal Covenant is made ours Observe here is not a Word concerning Christ's Righteousness or Faith in him for Righteousness And hence worthy Mr. Troughton citing this passage of Mr. Baxter saith By this Author 't is not Christ's Righteousness apprehended by Faith justifieth us but Faith it self as including Obedience i. e. the belief and practice of the Christian Religion is our Righteousness by and for which we are justified and accepted Luth. Red. p. 8. Moreover 't is worth noting to observe how Mr. Baxter seems to lay the whole stress of our first Justification to what is promised in our Baptismal Covenant wherein we profess Faith in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost sure he might with much ease have foreseen that such who entered into that Baptismal Covenant in the Primitive Apostolical Days were such who before they were admitted thereto were required to believe And if true Subjects were all justified before they sign'd that Covenant the Jailor who cried out Sirs what must I do to be saved was by St. Paul required to believe on the Lord Jesus with a Promise upon his so doing of being saved Though I deny not but that Faith in God the Father and in the Holy Ghost is injoined as well as Faith in the Son yet 't is Christ who is the immediate Object of our Faith and that too as he was crucified for us and bore our Sins or was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him And 't is by him that we come to God and believe in God and are justified and accepted of God other foundation of these things can no man lay But Mr. Baxter speaks nothing of this but of a Faith in general in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost which Faith he says is reputed truly to be the Condition on our part on which Christ and Life by that Baptismal Covenant is made ours till I met with this passage of Mr. Baxter's I did not so well understand what Mr. Daniel Williams means by those Assertions of his in his late Book called The Vanity of Youth p. 130. 131. who answers these Questions following viz. What doth the Covenant bind thee to meaning the Baptismal Covenant Answ To be the Lords in a sincere Care to know love believe obey worship and serve him all my days and to depend on God through Christ for all Happiness Ezek. 16. 8. Rom. 12. 1. Rom. 6. 4. Quest What if a Child through the love of Sin or vanity of Mind will not agree to this Covenant when he is capable Answ He then rejecteth Christ our Saviour and renounceth the Blessings of the Gospel Quest Is it a great Sin to refuseth agree to the Covenant to which thy Baptism engaged thee Answ It 's the damning Sin and the heart of all Sin I suppose Mr. Williams and Mr. Baxter were of the same Faith and Judgment If you will know what the Terms and Condition of the Covenant of Grace are which must be performed by us that we may be justified both these Men tell you though the latter more fully 't is to make good this Baptismal Covenant viz. sincerely to love believe obey worship and serve the Lord so that Faith alone as it receives Christ or helps us to fly to Christ and relie on Christ is not the alone way or condition if it may be so termed on our part in order to actual Interest in Jesus Christ and Justification but also the whole of Gospel-Obedience and Holiness they make to he as absolute Conditions in order thereunto as Faith Sirs we deny not but that Obedience and Personal Holiness is necessary to Salvation or in order to a meetness for an actual Possession of Heaven But we must exclude all inherent Holiness or Works of Obedience done by us in point of Justification Pray mind my Text But to him that worketh not but believeth But if it be not as I affirm concerning these Men how can Mr. Williams call the non-performance of the Baptismal Covenant the damning Sin and heart of all Sin Observe the very same damning Evil which the Holy Ghost charges on the Sin of Unbelief In the New Testament Mark 16. 16. John 3. 36. he charges on the non-performance of his true Condition of Justification and Eternal Life i.e. this Baptismal Covenant All Sin I grant is damning in its own Nature every Sin being a breach of God's Law exposes to God's Wrath and Curse But the not agreeing to or non-performance of this Covenant he making this the Condition of the Covenant of Grace he calls by way of Eminency the damning Sin and heart of all Sin If this Man preaches Christ or the glorious Gospel I am much mistaken Besides our Baptismal Covenant is not a sign of that Faith and Holiness we should afterwards obtain but 't is an outward sign of that inward Grace we have or ought to have when baptized i.e. 't is a sign that we are dead to Sin to the World to the Law and to our own Righteousness How shall we saith the

another This to the learned Greeks was a strange Doctrine But to say a Man is justified by sincere Obedience i. e. by believing the Truth of God's Word and living a godly Life suits well with Man's natural Wisdom and Reason But the Doctrine of Faith though it be not against humane Reason yet it is above it and wholly depends upon divine or supernatural Revelation through this Man is preached unto you remission of Sins and by him all that believe are justified from all things by which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses Acts 13. 38 39. For as by one Man's Disobedience many were made Sinners so by the Obedience of one shall many be made righteous Rom 5. 19. How dare any say our Works or sincere Obedience is our Righteousness sith the Apostle positively asserts We are made righteous by the Obedience of Jesus Christ If it be by his Obedience 't is not by our own For as Adam's Sin was imputed to his Seed to Condemnation so is the Obedience or Righteousness of Christ imputed to all those who believe in him to Justification Now the worst of Men that have any sense of Religion are prone to conclude the only way to obtain God's Favour and to be justified in his sight is to make the practice of Holiness and upright Walking a Condition nay the only way thereunto and that Happiness is to be by that means obtained Hence 't is when they meet with any awakening Convictions or Terror of Conscience they presently begin to think they must amend their Lives and perform Religious Duties Nay this way the Heathens were brought to their best Devotion as a learned Writer observes Mankind being made and born under a Covenant of Works are naturally led to work for Life or to do something to procure God's Acceptance and escape his Displeasure The very Light of natural Reason informs us that it is just with God to require us to perform Duties of sincere Obedience or Duties of natural or instituted Religion and if we fall in doing what our Consciences tells us we ought to do we presently through self-love and blind hope persuade our selves God being gracious will pardon us wherein we come short through Christ who died for Sinners And thus we may perceive that the Persuasion of Salvation and Justification by the Condition of sincere Obedience hath its Original from our corrupt natural Reason and is part of the Wisdom of the World but it is none of the Wisdom of God in a Mystery yea that hidden Wisdom God hath ordained before the World began to our Glory It is not of the things of the Spirit of God nor of the Mystery of Faith which the natural Man cannot receive but are Foolishness unto him This is not the foolishness of preaching whereby God is pleased to save them that believe 1 Cor. 2. 6 7 9 14. Certainly the Justification of a Sinner in the sight of God by Faith only or to believe on him that justifies the Ungodly is one of the chief Mysteries of the Gospel but if our Justification was by our own Obedience or by conforming our Lives to the Rules of the Gospel Justification and Salvation would cease from being any more a Mystery But to be justified by the Righteousness of another though Sinners in our selves and have done nothing to procure such Favour and Acceptance at God's hand can't enter into the heart of natural and self-deceived Mortals Sirs our Justification is a great Mystery as 't is an Act of God's Sovereign Grace and Wisdom Herein his Justice and Mercy equally shine forth and the one doth not eclipse the Glory of the other Sin is punished and the Sinner acquitted 6 Arg. If when we have done all we can do we are unprofitable Servants then by our best Works of Obedience and Services under the Gospel we cannot be justified But contrariwise all Works in that respect as done by us are excluded Luke 17. 10. He is no unprofitable Servant whose Works or sincere Obedience commends him to God in point of Justification no Man is able to come up fully to discharge his Duty If therefore sincere Obedience ●nstead of perfect God now requires of us in the case of Justification and we are able fully to discharge the Law of sincere Obedience which our new Doctors must say or they say nothing then it follows that all such Persons are not unprofitable Servants for they have done all that God requires of them Nor indeed can I see as a Divine observes if sincere Obedience be the Condition of Justification and Life how the Imperfections of the Godly should be any Sins against the Gospel Where there is no Law there is no Transgression For this New Law i. e. the Gospel requires no more than sincere and upright Obedience say they though the Law did and the Gospel also promises Life in like manner to sincere Obedience as the Law did to perfect and compleat Obedience they may be Imperfections saith he in Nature but not proper Sins Praeter non contra Legem as the Papists say If they say that more than sincere Obedience is required of us but not as a Condition of Life I ask by what Law The Covenant of Works required nothing but as the Condition of Life no more doth the Gospel if it be a Law of Life After such a manner our Saviour doubtless by his Expressions shews us that all we do avails us nothing in point of Desert though never so sincerely performed and therefore far from justifying us in God's sight but that all we have is of God's Free Grace 7 Arg. Because we are said to be justified by the Righteousness of God Hence it follows that all our own Works of Obedience are excluded Rom. 3. 21 22. 'T is called the Righteousness of God in opposition to the Righteousness of the Creature not the Essential Righteousness of God but the Righteousness of Christ the Mediator who is God as well as Man and that Righteousness God in his infinite Wisdom hath found out to discharge us guilty and condemn'd Sinners and to justifie us in his sight Hence St. Paul renounced all his own Righteousness that he might be found in the Righteousness of God which is by Faith in Jesus Christ Phil. 3. 8 9 10. Obj. But say some Paul speaks only of that Righteousness which he had whilst a Pharisee or of the Righteousness of the Law He intends not saith Mr. Williams p. 204 205. Gospel-sincerity but those Jewish thing or what they boasted of And again he saith It was not Gospel-holiness which he counted dung or loss Answ 'T is strange this Man should adventure to give such a sence of this Text when at the same time he would ●ain have his Reader believe he owns the imputed Righteousness of Christ for our Justification p. 202. 'T is evident he does deny that the Righteousness of Christ alone is imputed to us for Justification as being the only Matter