Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	adam_n	law_n	moral_a	4,944	5	10.5377	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B20887	Two sermons one on the subject of justification, the other on the imputed righteousness imputation of faith to righteousness, by which we are justified : preached occaisionally at the Merchants-Lecture in Pin-makers-Hall in Broad-street : and printed by their desire / by Walter Cross ...	Cross, Walter, M.A.	1695 (1695)	Wing C7266	44,724	48

change in the divine nature to turn him out of an angry temper into a gracious kind and merciful one for the gift of the Son flow'd from the unchangeableness of his Love but God as Supream King and Governour by a just Law well and wisely establish'd could not in Honour admit Rebels to the Priviledges he design'd for them without a satisfaction made to the Government which must be what the Law required and that required Death and as our Death begins with a mortal nature and encreases thorough sickness and weakness until it be compleated in a Death-stroke or some violence prevent the gradualness so Christ became like us in all things excepting sin one drop of Christ's Blood one day of his humility had dignity enough in in it but he was to pay what the Law required and the Law obtained all its ends in him This may help us to understand these Phrases used very rudely that God loves the elect when sinning as well as when praying It s true as he is God for there is no change in him but not true as our God or Governour and the Language of Scripture is in this latter sense as he manifests himself thorough Law or Gospel these being Rules of his dispensations and glasses of our knowledge 5. On the other hand though we obey the Law in some measure and have a measure of suffering which is acceptable to God thorough Christ if we have faith in him yet this comes in as no satisfaction to that primitive Law for we are not oblig'd to do what he did for us it comes in as a preparing us for a possession in a holy Society where no unclean thing can enter so the imputation of Christ's obedience takes not away the necessity of our obedience more than his passive takes away the necessity of our suffering or dying It 's appointed for all once to dye though Christ died and it s appointed for all to obey though Christ obey'd neither our suffering nor our obedience comes in as a part of that righteousness that first Law requir'd of us as belonging to the covenant of Works the breaking of this clay vessel either by Death or what 's equivalent is necessary for our habitation in another Sphere where this cannot enter blessings of that would be a torment to this constitution Sufferings are necessary to make us sensible what we deserve and what our Saviour suffer'd for us Holiness and Righteousness is necessary by precept and as a means to fit and prepare for that possession 3. Thorough a congruity as a fruit and an effect of that image of God begun to be drawn in us by reason of which when in its perfection it may be said The Law is not made for a righteous man and we read of no Law given to Adam but Ceremonial Laws the nature of God is the first Law the Moral Law reveal'd is but a Copy of that divine temper and when it s perfectly writ in a Man's Heart without any blot mistake or defect to live holily is to live as he list and by reason of this disposition of Soul a Saint can never be said to be without law yet if we take law for an external Command swaying by the force of its sanction against the stream of Inclination a man is neither of the Law nor under the Law The 2d and last Head propos'd was about the sense of these words Faith imputed to Righteousness about which there are these three Opinions Some say that Faith is taken objectively Faith comprehending Christ's Righteousness is put for it or Faith in justification is always valued as comprehending Christ's Righteousness 2. Others say that God out of his Gracious Acceptation takes faith for the Righteousness Blessedness is due to we say Christ's Righteousness comes in the room of that they that Christ merited that faith should be taken for it The 3d. Which my judgement embraces is that faith is reckon'd of God the mean of Application or Instrument of conveyance of Christ's Righteousness to us Imputation applied to Faith is a note of Distinction implying a double use of Faith the one is by inhesion and so it sanctifies us the other is by imputation and so it justifies us because it is the ceremony of Seisin by which we are invested with and entitled to the righteousness of Christ this suits best with the former Metaphor of imputation in Books of accompts for 't is not only usual and necessary to transfer and impute Estates in Books of Accompts where great Funds and Banks are but there is given to the person who is made Creditor a Bank-bill or Tally bearing the value of the transferr'd summ so that bit of Stick or Paper thorough imputation if we compare it with these Bank-Books makes the Man worth so much money as the transfer'd summ is so in the Lamb's Book of Life there 's not only a transferring of his righteousness to us but there is given out this Bill or Tally of Faith to us by which we are entitled to it There are many Arguments which may both prove and explain this 1. It is without doubt that all our priviledges are convey'd one way Faith bears the same relation to them all Rom. 4.16 It 's said the inheritance is of Faith that it might be by grace now Heb. 11.1 Faith 's call'd the substance of things hop'd for Substance saith Tho. Aquin. is the beginning of a thing that necessarily at last infers the whole that 's in our English an Earnest now if Faith be an earnest of Heaven it bears the like relation to other priviledges as Rev. 2.17 We read of a white stone and in the stone a New Name that was the stone of absolution the Judge anciently instead of speaking his Sentence convey'd it by the giving of a white or black stone so if Faith be the earnest of our hopes it 's the stone of our pardon it 's the Ring of our Marriage with Christ it 's the Winte Raiment Feast and New Name of our Manumission by justification out of Slaves we are made Freemen and Faith is the mean and instrument of Investiture with it 2. This sence of it removes a considerable difficulty among Divines the Question is since Justification is a transitory act of God and terminates upon the Creature what it is that he doth when he justifies or what bears the room of the justifying sentence most say the Word of God the Gospel but there 's a great distinction between the voice of the Law and the voice of the Judge the Law says Whosoever believes shall be justified but the voice of the Judge is thou John or Thomas art absolv'd it s a particular positive and authorative Application of the Law Mr. Baxter thinks that God proclaims some publick Sentence among the Angels but that 's a groundless Notion this seems to me most reasonable that the gift of Faith being such a fruit of his special grace that he gives to no sinner but

and Governour of all the creatures Secondly To pass the Oeconomy of Angels above us let us suppose by the conjunct Counsel of God the Father and this now suppos'd Immanuel existing only in the divine nature but a relative dignity and honour belonging to him as such a person and in such an office which was a glory John 17. Glorifie me with that glory which I had with thee before the foundation of the World viz. To be Lord and end of the Creatures is a great glory all others being made for him Col. 1.16 All things were created for him but now as Mediator and in a state of humiliation he is made a mean and they the end out of the species of men some design'd and chosen to be the more immediate train and fellows of this great Lord and end of all Psal 45.7 They are called Fellows With the oyl of gladness above all thy Fellows We may read the designs and contrivance in Christs intercession for the compleat execution John 17.24 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me How they do it we may read Rev. 5.11 12. c. There being elect Angels as well as Men renders this very consistent antecedent to the fall But Thirdly These being in the loyns of Adam and under the common Lot of Man as to their Creature state are permitted to fall with the whole mass of humane nature Elective Grace and Love show'd it self in their redemption but to Angels prevention and their fall gives occasion to a New Work and Office to this Immanuel and New Discoveries of his Love and Grace to these elected fellows John 12.24 Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and dye it abideth alone but if it dye it bringeth forth much fruit He compares his death to seed says he if I dye not I shall lose all my fellows design'd my Company and Train in heaven will not only be fewer but I shall loose one whole kind of them and that of next kindred to my own nature I will never suffer it I have power over my own Life to lay it down and take it up I am resolv'd to take their burden on my shoulders the curse they are under shall strike thorough my Soul but I will redeem them I will give them a singular evidence of the goodness of their Lord and Master they are to serve On the other hand God the Father with whom I should have begun the God of all Grace that he might manifest it in all its variety and render the difference between the Creature and Creator more lustrious and the degrees and steps of Happiness more numerous and tasteful suffered them permitted them to fall but knew of one among the number a noble elect vessel that could not fall yea that could give satisfaction for their transgression to glorifie his soveraignity in showing what a subject was in his dominion he commands him Psal 40. I come to do thy will thy Law is within my heart And to glorifie his goodness he gives this Lord of all to be their Priest Sacrifice Redeemer and Surety the whole transaction we may read in the Covenant of Redemption Isa 50.20 Psalm 89.3 19 20 27. The Redeemer shall come to Zion This is my Covenant with them my spirit that is upon thee c. shall not depart from thy seed It 's a Covenant with him concerning them I have made a covenant with my chosen one chosen out of the people I have laid help on one that is mighty Zach. 6.13 A Counsel of peace between the Lord of Hosts and the man the branch By vertue of this Covenant the Creditor may pursue him for his voluntary undertaking and Christ may sue out deliverance for his performance therefore it becomes us to carry our petitions first to him that in his right we may be delivered 2. By vertue of this Covenant and that relation that gave foundation to it their arises a most strict union between Christ and us Now the more they are one the more reason for his righteousness to be imputed to us they are one seed Gal. 3.16 29. and to thy seed which is Christ You may pursue any of the Brothers that share of the Fathers estate any of the Members of the body may be punish'd for what another has done We are all Members of one body When a Society would give sufficient ground of Credit they put it in their constitution that you may pursue one for all here thorough the oneness of nature all became Bankerupt thorough Adam but much more united is that Society one in Christ Ruther par 2. p. 251. 1. One and the same legal party the same object of justice he that pursues the surety pursues the Debtor 2. The Debt is one It 's but one Debt that Christ suffer'd for and sinners suffer for 3. The satisfaction or payment is one it cannot be required of the principal debtor what the surety has paid 4. The acceptation is one if he accept of payment from the Surety he cannot pursue the Debtor and the Discharge is one as Christ was deliver'd for our Offences he rose again for our Justification If a sinner was assur'd that he were an elect vessel he might say I have paid all in my surety but as we have the priviledge of minors so have we the folly and therefore are treated as them who have not wisdom to manage their own Estate 3. The Office that Christ was put in thorough this Covenant for us is a just foundation for imputation Heb. 7.22 He was made surety of a better covenant Whatever the word signifies there it is for us as a Priest towards God that he exerts it as to the signification of the word tho' its but this once in the New-Testament yet several times the seventy use it as the proper translation of Gharab which Prov. 6.1 and 17.19 signifieth surety so Gen. 43.9 I will be surety for him let me bear the blame for ever 44.32 Thy servant became surety for the lad The end of suretyship is to be a ground of Trust Dum curant homines ut diligentius sibi cautum sit I have laid help on one that is mighty 2. One becomes so for another by contract if in his own power Fidejussor fit per stipulationem be not thou one of them that strike hands or that are sureties for Debts 3. It legally unites the persons Fidejussor propriè dicitur debitor He was made under the Law Singuli in solidum tenentur each are bound for the whole He was made sin that knew no sin 4. T is of several kinds either it may preceed or follow the Obligation it may either be for debt or for persons indemnity or good behaviour or for performance of condition Isa 36.8 Give pledges I pray thee to my Master the King of Assyria There is something of each of these in Christs