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A26316 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. 1696 (1696) Wing A459; ESTC R3827 24,143 28

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the Manhood of Christ but they were as Righteous as God himself Quoting that Text 2 Cor. 5. 21. Again he the said Culy affirmed That Jesus Christ was the greatest Reprobate in the World Mr. Coleman's Maid-Servant hearing him utter these Words said Have a Care what you say for it is against the Person of Christ and 't is Blasphemie Something to the same Purpose another of them uttered lately in London Also Mr. D s July 1696. in a Sermon Perached in London mentioning that Text Hob 2. 14. 15. For verily he took not on him the Nature of Angels but he took on him the Seed of Abraham affirmed That Christ did not only take or assume the Seed or Nature of Abraham or of the Elect but he assumed the Persons of all the Elect also Which is contrary I think to what any Orthodox Minister ever asserted Brethren pray Consider That the human Nature which Christ assumed was Hypostatically united to the Divine Nature therefore if he assumed the Persons of all the Elect then all the Persons of Elect are brought into the Hypostatical Union in the Person of Christ But may be some may Object and say He only meant Christ assumed their Persons Representatively c. Answ That could not be his meaning because he brought in Christ as thhir Head and Representative c. as another distinct Argument to prove what he was upon But further to Confute his Notion take what Dr. Owen saith viz. It was our Nature he assumed and not the Person of 〈…〉 Then say I not the Persons of all the Elect. Again he saith Many 〈…〉 Persons cannot be Hypostatically Vnited for that is to be one Person and no 〈…〉 e There may be a manisold Vnion Mystical and Moral of divers of 〈…〉 y Persons but a Personal Vnion there cannot be of any thing but 〈…〉 distinct Natures And as the Son of God could not assume many Persons so 〈…〉 sing that human Nature which he did unite to himself to have been a Person 〈…〉 ere could have been no Personal Vnion between it the Son of God Again saith 〈…〉 It is only the assumption of our Nature unto Vnion with the Son of God An 〈…〉 edent unto any individual Personal Subsistence of it's own that can 〈…〉 ute such a Vnion In his Treatise Intituled Twofold Discourse concerning the Spirit p. 52 53 54. 15. This Notion of Justification before Faith seems directly contrary to those Scriptures that hold forth That we are Justified by Faith c. in 〈…〉 all that Believe are Justified and particularly that Text Gal. 2. 16. Even we have Believed that we might be Justified by the Faith of Christ 〈…〉 c. Not that we might know we were Justified before or might be in 〈…〉 own Consciences but that we might be actually Justified Justification 〈…〉 applied to Faith 1. not by Faith as our Orthodox Divines note as it is an act of ours 2. Not by Faith as it is the efficient cause thereof for in that Sense 't is God that Justifies 3. Not by Faith as the Meritori 〈…〉 s Cause of it for so we are Justified by the Blo●d of Christ 4. Nor that Faith procures it from any intrinsick Vertue simply Considered to be 〈…〉 that Grace but by Faith as an Instrument i. e. as a Hand that receives Christ and his Righteousness or applies the Remedy to our Souls Faith Justifie us Objectively as it apprehends Christ Suppose a Friend should offer to give me a Thousand Pounds and I stretch forth my Hand to receive it 't is not my Hand that inriches me but 't is the Gift given the 〈…〉 Hand applies to cure my Wounds doth not Heal me but 't is the said Balm But if by Faith we are Justified then not before it nor without it Moreover if by Faith we are actually united to Christ and are the Children of God then not united to him nor actually God's Children before we Believe They that were stung in the Wilderness the Type of guilty Sinners were not Healed before they looked up to the Brazen Serpent were not to look to it that they might know they were Healed or have the Declaration or feeling Sense of that Cure which they had before but by looking they were a tually Healed 16. Lastly This Doctrin of theirs tends to lead People to venture on Christ or throw themselves on Christ Presumptuously and conclude they are Justified tho' they continue Wicked and ungodly and do not experience the Effects of Christ's Death and Resurrection in themselves for tho' we affirm God Justifies the ungodly i. e. That we are such Just when we Believe and so come to Christ as Sinners as convinced and ungodly Sinners without any previous Qualifications yet Faith doth not leave us in and under the power of Sins but purifies our Hearts and Lives Faith hath a twofold Use First by God's Ordination as it apprehends and receives Christ 'tis said to Justifie us and by its own Spiritual Vertue it Rennovates and Sanctifies us I must Confess by reading some Passages in Mr. Ayre 's Treatise and that passage of Mr. Davis mentioned in this Narrative I cannot see that these Men by all the Noise they make about Justification before faith that 't is anything more than that which we call a decretive and Vertual Justification So that it appears 't is but about strife of Words that these poor People made that Schism in the Church at Kilby Mr. Davis says That the Elect are dead in Traspasses and Sins and under the declared condemnation of the Law and Gospel till they Believe and then and only then they are freed from Condemnation which I take says he to be actual Justification by faith And that he will stand by the Assemblies desinition of Justifying faith and that the Moral Law holds the Elect during their Vnregeneracy under t is condemning Force till they believe I would know what is it we say more or less Why then does this man make this Stir and Division in Churches Mr. Ayre saith Justification actively Considered as it is in God who is the Justifier was Compleat and Perfect before we had a being and in this Sense Faith is not the Instrument of it and Dr. Twisses whom he Quotes saith It was ours before we Believe in respect of right because of the intention of the Father and the Son tho' not in Possession and Enjoyment Ans Suppose a man intend to give and also purchase an Estate for a Child that shall proceed from my Loyns of the hundred Generation from me can that Child be said actually to have the posession of 〈…〉 t Estate so long before 't is born Nay to have any proper or personal right to it We deny not 〈◊〉 our right to Justification in respect of God's Decree and Intention before we were born nor of that Vertual right in Christ as our head and Representative at his resurrection Certainly these men fight only with their own Shaddows for what is
Law to be Preached then there are no Sinners and then also there is no need of Repentance nor no need of a Mediator Therefore the Law must first be Preached to Sinners to make them sensible of Sin and of their Undone Estate by reason of Sin that they may Know the Want Worth and Necessity of a Saviour for the Law all Grant is not to be Preached to Believers for any such End because they are not under the Law but under Grace Rom 6. 14. Therefore I Conclude That the Law ought to be Preached first to sinners for the Conviction of Sin and 2. I prove that the Law ought to be Preached first to Sinners for the Conviction of Sin from the Practice of the Prophets and Apostles and for this I shall give some Instances see the 2 Sam. 12. Nathan Convinceth David of his Sin in the matter of Vriah by a Parable of one that had broken the Law by Covetting and taking of another's Ewe-Lamb and when David was Convinced he said I have Sinned ver 13. Then the Prophet Preached the Gospel to him saying The Lord hath put away thy Sin thou shalt not Dye The Law admits of no Remission but That Soul that Sins shall Die So in Joel 2. The Prophet Preached Law and Wrath to the People in the former part of the Chapter and then afterwards Preacheth the Gospel Ver. 12 13 14. So in Jeremiah 41. 18. When they were under Conviction of Sin by the Law then the Gospel was Preached to them v. 20. Moreover the Apostle Peter Preached first the Law to the Jews Acts 2. 23. Compared with Verse 36. And when they were Convinced of their Murder which was the Breach of the Law then he Preached the Gospel to them Verse 38 39. I might give you many more Instances also I might ask you To whom do you Preach the Gospel if not to Sinners and if the Gospel is Preached to Sinners it Implyes the Law for how can they be Sinners if the Law be Destroyed Where there is no Law there is no Transgression Destroy the Law and Christ is dead in Vain For Christ came to Redeem those that were under the Law Gal. 4. 4 5. And the Apostle saith That 〈…〉 y were so far from Destroying the Law that they Established it 〈…〉 3. 31. And whereas you say To Preach the Law first is contrary 〈…〉 that in the 16th of John The Spirit convinceth of Sin I would have 〈…〉 know That the Law of it self is a dead Letter but it is the Spirit 〈…〉 t sets in with the Law by which means the Law is set home with 〈…〉 wer on the Hearts and Consciences of Sinners and makes them Cry 〈…〉 t Men and Brethren what shall we do when prickt to the Heart 〈…〉 is the Law that Wounds the Gospel Heals But it appears You 〈…〉 re not able to Distinguish between Law Conviction and Gospel Conviction which is the Ground of your Mistake That Text John 16. 〈…〉 9. Hath this Text no relation to Law Conviction but a Gospel-Conviction He shall Reprove the World of Sin True the next part 〈…〉 ly refers to the Gospel viz. of Sin because they Believe not 〈…〉 me The Law saith nothing of Faith neither is it of Faith Galat. 3. 〈…〉 The Law convinceth of Sins relating to it self and its Precepts 〈…〉 is the Spirit in the Gospel that Condemns the Sinner for the Sin of Unbelief John 3. 18 36. Mark 16. 16. So that I have prov'd that 〈…〉 take Offence at Truth in this Point 6. You say that I affirmed That there is no Vnion before Faith I have Answered this Point in a Letter to Mrs. Farmer and therefore if you had not been Prejudiced you would have put this out of your Paper except I had received an Answer from her who was Silent about it and since she hath set her Hand to Mr. Knollys's Words 〈…〉 o Positively saith That by Faith the Soul in it's Conversion 〈…〉 is United to Christ So I hope she will be so Faithful as to Vindicate this Truth against you For if Actual Union be by ●aith it cannot be without Faith nor before it But if she neglect or refuseth to Vindicate what she hath set her Hand to let the Blame for ever be upon her own Head One should have thought Mr. Rich. Adams ' s letter might have Satisfied you which answered the Charge of False Doctrin you laid to my Charge on this Point we told you that it was the Opinion of Dr. Owen c. and also of all the Baptised Churches of our Way That Actual Union in order of Nature is not before Faith unless any of late are Deluded into Antenomian Notions 〈…〉 t because this our Answer is now made Publick I shall give you the same Answer I gave to Mrs. Farmer and by that show your Weakness or Mistakes and that is by Enquiring into two Things 1. By Enquiring into what we were while in Unbelief And 2. By Enquiring into the Nature of Union it self 1. We and all Men while in Uubelief are in the Flesh and cannot please God Rom. 8. 8. Heb. 11. 6. What in Union with Christ and yet at the same time cannot please God Whilst we are in Unbelief we are all Children of Wrath our Natures being Corrupted by the Sin of our first Parents Ephes 2. 3. Condemed John 3. 18. And the Wrath of God abiding on all John 3. 36. And yet for all this United to Christ 3. Whilst in Unbelief we are in a state of Enmity being in the Carnal Mind Rom. 8. 7. Aliens Enemies in our Minds by wicked Works Colloss 1. 21. Haters of God Rom. 1. 30. What cannot we please God What under a state of Wrath Aliens and Enemies against God and yet in Union with and United to Christ at the same time What Strange Doctrin is this and how contrary to the Scriptures Thus I come to make enquiry into the Nature of Union 1. A Conjugal Union is an Agreement of two Persons together by which they Twain become One Flesh and as Conjugal Union must arise first from one Party which commonly is the Man his Affections goes out after the Woman he seeks to make his Wife he Sues for her Love by Arguments and Gifts yet here is no Union till she Consents and is Actually United to him in her Affection and is Joined to him and he to her by God's Appointment and Ordinance This is the true state of Union The Application is easie God and Christ have a Love of good Will and Affection for the Elect whilst they are Enemies and from that Love they Invite Woo and Beseech poor Sinners to be Reconciled and United 2. Cor. 5. 20. by their Ministers verse 18. And this is looked upon as done by the Father and the Son Luke 10. 16. And to the end they may be Reconciled he gives to them the Gift of Repentance Acts 5. 31. and the 11. 18. And the Gift of Faith Ephes 2.