Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	apostle_n	faith_n	grace_n	3,447	5	5.5645	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45141	The middle-way of perfection with indifferency between the orthodox and the Quaker by J.H.	Humfrey, John, 1621-1719.	1674 (1674)	Wing H3692; ESTC R7480	27,096	35

is suitable to our falen state Now as a conformity to the Covenant of Nature is mans Righteousness and when there is no flaw therein his Perfection according to that Covenant so a conformity to the terms of Grace is our righteousness according to this Covenant and when there is nothing wanting in our coming up fully to those terms as if there be it will not serve our turn it must be our perfection And here then is that Perfection upon which we are to be reconciled Not a perfection which consists in doing every thing in the Earth we are bound to do but a perfection that notwithstanding our many failings is not wanting in coming up to the Terms which God accepts for Righteousness to everlasting Salvation in the Covenant of the Gospel There is a Righteousness of God declared or set forth under the new Testament in opposition to Works which I have mentioned in my Paper of Justification and explained to my content in my last paper of the Covenants and it is according to this Righteousness the World is to know that the Scripture speaks N B when it makes Noah Job Daniel Zachary or any other just men righteous men and perfect men in the sight of God When else there is no flesh before the infinite Holiness that is clean or that could be justified and stand in judgment Hear O House of Israel is not my wayes equal When the wicked turneth from his wickedness and doeth that which is lawful and right be shall save his Soul This is said to be equal with God If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness Not onely merciful but just In like manner God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love which ye have shewn towards his Name Again it is a righteous thing with God to recomperce to you who are troubled rest when Christ shall be revealed from Heaven Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Righteous God shall give me If God it seemes from such Scriptures as these should put no difference between the penitent sinner and others he would not be righteous according to that righteousness which is ascribed to him in these and the like places although if he should destroy the world for one transgression we could not accuse him of wrong in the sense of some others Of what value then that notion about this Righteousness of God which after many years thoughts I have offered in the said two former papers p. 26.27 c. of the one p. 7.8 c. of the other I leave to Time when it hath brought the same light into some other more authoritative pen that is to forget from whence it came to make the discovery and improvement I will adde but thus much more by way of surplusage to it Justitiam in Deo sacra Scriptura saepe nominat condecentiam bonitatis ipsius ut Scholaastici lequuntur Deum justum vocat quum facit ea quae congruunt ejus sapientiae aequitati benignitati There is no man sinneth not sayes Solomon in his Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple This he enlarges in his Ecclesiastes There is not a just man upon Earth that doeth good and simmeth not The Apostle to the Romans confirms this out of the Psalmes There is none that doeth good no not one St. James likewise gives his Suffrage In many things we offend all And St. John is yet most positive If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us On the other side He that committeth sin sayes the same Apostle is of the Devil He that is born of God keepeth himself that the wicked one toucheth him not Whosoever is born of God doeth not commit sin For his Seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God St. Augustine I remember in several places of his Books does lay some two or three of these Texts together and offers us this solution That which is born of God sayes he sins not Which is as much as to say There is that which is born of God in the true Christian and that which is not born of him In other terms no man is regenerate but in part or sanctified but in part Not as if one faculty was sanctified and not another But there remaines the principle of Corruption together with the principle of Grace which is infused that is both flesh and Spirit in the same person And whatsoever proceeds from the one cannot be s●n as whatsoever proceeds from the other cannot be otherwise I will adde According to the prevalency there is of any of these two principles in the soul so is the person to have his denomination The Apostle therefore speaking of himself when he did the evil he would not it is no more I says he that does it but sin that dwelleth in me If it be not be then that does it the person being denominated from the will and more generally prevailing part is said to sin not And this I-take it after Austive is ordinarily received by Divines Nevertheless that which I propose here from what is said seems to me to be more clear and weighty There are some Texts say that all men are sinners and others that the regenerated do not sin and the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin I distinguish then of sin Sin is the Transgression of a Law and as there is a twofold Law so is there a twofold Transgression There is the transgression of the Law of Works Or the transgression of the Law of Faith Every man upon Earth does sin against the Law of Works in leaving undone what it requires or doing what it forbids in Thought Word or Deed even continnually but there is no man sins against the Law of Grace so as to leave undone what that requires as the condition of life who is saved It is true that as all Power is committed to the Son the Law of Nature is put into Christs hands to be commanded by him which together with remedying Grace are parts of his Law Distinguish therefore between sinning against one or other Precept of Christs Law and sinning against it as a conditional Covenant by nonperformance It will be for profit yet to multiply the same matter If thou will enter into Life says Christ keep the Commandements Neithe Circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing says the Apostle but Faith working by love in one place but a new Creature in another but the keeping the Commandements of God in a third Do we make void the Law through Faith No we established it That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit The Doers of the Law shall be justified It appears by multitudes of such Scriptures as these that the Law or commandements of God are to be kept or

known that in the Diospolitan Councel An. Do. 415. this was one of Pelagius errours which was there Condemned Filios Dei non posse vocari nisi qui omni modo absque omni peccato fuerint effecti That they cannot be called Gods Sons who are not in all regards without any manner of sin Which errour also Pelagius himself there retracted In the second place it is worthy our knowing what was the ground or reason of his conviction because it is like that the same consideration or argument may prevail upon one or other and more then so of this Sect that have but the like rational judgments Nono fatetur filios dei posse vocari illos qui quotidie d●cunt dimitte nobis debita nostra quod utique veraciter non dicerent si essent omnino absque peccato To the nineth Article he confesses that they may be the Sons of God who say daily forgive us our Trespasses which verily they could not say if they were altogether without sin The Fathers of that Council urged this upon him that if none could be born of God that were not altogether perfect then must none of Christs Disciples be his Children for how could they pray to him to forgive their debts if they had no sin to be forgiven How could they pray daily for pardon if they were any day without transgression Nathaniel was one of the Disciples of whom it is said he was without guile and consequently as perfect as any Quaker dare presume of himself and yet Nathaniel as well as Peter and Peter as well as any other true Believer are taught by these words of their Lord that they have need of daily forgiveness It is sufficient to this Argument if that Prayer be held but a pattern and no form as some will have it so long as they do not I hope yet think they may scratch it out of their Bibles because they leave it unsaid In the third place this opinion is against the uniform constant stream of Gods word and the writings of holy men which still run thus that we are sinners that we must all repent and that we must always be renewing our repentance in making our Prayers Confessions Supplications Doing our Almes and other good works and resting on Christ for grace and pardon Without this supposition the whole course of our Religion as Christian will sink for want of a foundation These things write I to you that you sin not and if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father who is a propitiation for our sins and also for the sius of the world There is our sins St. John's sins that need an Advocate as well as the world When Ezekiel is picking out three of the most holy men that ever were which instance Augustine also uses he names Daniel Noah and Job Of Noah we have the record of Moses that he was overtaken Of Job we have his own acknowledgment If I justifie my self my own mouth shall condemn me if I say I am perfect it shall prove me perverse Of Daniel we have a whole Chapter where he is praying and confess ing his sin as himself speaks and the sins of his people What is man says Eliphaz that he should be Clean and he that is born of a Woman that he should be Righteous Behold he putteth no trust in his Saints and the Heavens are not clean in his sight and how much more abominable and filthy is man who drinketh Iniquity as water We are all unclean says the Church sutably to this in Isay and all our Righteousnesses are as filthy raggs There is one Text most full as most common not to be omitted which is that of David Enter not into judgment with thy Servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified This is applied by the Apostle against justification by the deeds of the Law If there is or ever was any meer mortal on Earth that lived altogether without sin then must this Text be false then may some men living be justified in his sight though he enter into district judgment with them then may some flesh living be justified by works then must salvation alone by Christ and the Doctrine indeed of the whole Gospel come to the ground For In the fourth place as this is against several particular Texts before named and the general current of the Scripture and holy Writers So is it directly against the very drift of what the Apostle delivers to the Romans and Galathians It is common for men to alleadg a few scattered Scriptures against any opinion which yet is true and we Answer those Scriptures but if an opinion does cross any one Text and much more any Epistle in the very scope and purport of it such an opinion must be left or all will come to naught It is manifest now that Paul in those two Epistles is setting forth the Doctrine of justification by Faith through our Redemption by Christ Jesus For the making this good he first shews that all men whatsoever stands guilty before God of the breach of his Law This he most industriously proves of the Gentiles in one Chapter of the Jews in another and in the third What then says he are we better than they no in no wise for we have before proved both Jew and Gemile that they are all under sin Upon this Medium he argues that no man therefore either Jew or Gentile can be justified by the Law for then they should be doers and not breakers of it From this truth that they cannot be justified by the Law it follows that there must be some other means of their justification And this he declares as the great concern and Gospel he has to deliver to be by Faith through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus This is the sum of his doctrine and arguing We may if you will for our advantage put more together If we are justified through Christs Redemption by Faith when none of us have performed the condition which was required of us to our justification by the Law of our Creation then must our justification be of grace or favour as being not else due And if this grace is obtained or purchased for us through Christs Redemption then is God righteous though he accepts of us seeing it is for Christs sake without that condition And if he is righteous in his accepting any without that condition there must be some other procured by Christ upon which he accepts them seeing all are not accepted notwithstanding Christs Redemption That other is Faith as the initium and foundation of all other duty that is Faith working by Love even that Love which fulfils the Law and is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given to us as Augustine that great assertour of grace still speaks From hence does there appear that Righteousness of God which is set out in opposition to our Righteousness by the Law and mentioned before in its