Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	act_n	faith_n	grace_n	4,482	5	5.9933	4	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

own Faith to be the Gift of God or a Grace of the Holy Spirit but that which the Creature has power when the Gospel is Preached to act by common assistance and influences he hath power to do and perform as any other Duties of Religion as to Pray hear the Word c. And thus they make the whole stress of Man's Salvation after all that Christ hath done to depend upon the depraved and corrupt Will of the Creature and faith such a condition of Justification and Eternal Life as may or may not be performed which if true it might so fall out that not one Soul might be saved notwithstanding the precious price paid by Jesus Christ to redeem them for by the same purity of Reason one Man may resist the offers of Grace and not believe in Christ or exert that power every Man may as well do 〈◊〉 too See Mr. Troughton's Luther us Redivivus p. 2. 5. Some also there be who affirm that Justification consisteth in our being perfectly and inherently Holy by the Spirit Light or Christ within and that no ●an can be Justified unless he be in himself perfect without Sin These Men for all their late pretences in talking of Christ's righteousness yet 〈◊〉 evident those who assert this Doctrine say God doth not accept any where there is any failing or do not fulfil the Law and Answer every demand of Justice Edw. Burroughs Works 14 Queries p. 33. And another of their chief Teachers saith That Justification by the righteousness of another or which Christ fulfilled for us in his own Person wholly without us we boldly affirm saith he to be a Doctrine of Devils and an Arm of the Sea of Corruption which doth now Deluge the World Pen ' s Apol. p. 148. And again he says It is a great Abomination to say God should condemn and punish his innocent Son that he having satisfied for our Sins we may be justified by the imputation of his perfect righteousness Pen ' s Sandy Foundation p. 25. And then afterwards speaking of that Text Rom. 2. 13. Not the Hearers of the Law are Just before God but the Doers of it shall be Justified From whence saith he how unanswerably may I observe that unless we become Doers of that Law which Christ came not to destroy but as our Example to fulfil we cannot be Justified before God Nor let any fansie that Christ hath fulfilled it for them as to exclude their Obedience from being requisite to their Acceptance but only as their Pattern Pen ' s Sandy Foundation p. 26. No marvel they Preach up a sinless Perfection to be attainable in this Life or that Men may live and not Sin at all since without an actual Obedience in our own Persons to the Law in every part and branch of it no Man can be Justified in the sight of God We say there is no Man can be Justified but by a compleat and perfect righteousness either inherent in us or imputed to us but 't is evident by what I have already shewed no Man hath such a righteousness in himself there being none that doth good and sinneth not if we say we have no Sin we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us 1 Joh. 1. 8. Paul cryed out When he would do Good Sin was present with him Rom. 7. Besides if a Man could live and Sin not yet he could not thereby be Justified because all have sinned and broke God's Law who shall therefore satisfie for and pay off the old score 6. Another sort there be that hold that some things must be done by the Creature not only to prepare for but to procure Justification not believing they can have this Wine and Milk without Money and without price Isa 55. 1 2. or something of their own They think they must make themselves clean and then come to Christ to be washed and Justified 7. There are others of late as well as formerly who by too many are looked upon to be true Preachers of the Gospel and Orthodox Men who are strangely tainted with that poysonous Notion which brings in sincere Ob●dience unto the Gospel as joyning it with Faith in point of Justification Thus I find they express themselves viz. That Faith and Obedience are Conditions of the Gospel or of the Covenant of Grace as perfect Obedience was of the Covenant of Works and that Christ hath purchased by his Death that this new Covenant should be made with us viz. That if we would believe and obey the Gospel we should be pardoned and saved c. Therefore that for which we are Justified and saved is our Faith and Obedience and so far as I can gather the Faith they speak of doth not respect the taking hold of Christ's Righteousness c. but the Belief of the acceptance of our Person 's Holiness and sincere Obedience to the Gospel through Christ to our Justification Christ having taken away by his Death the rigour of the Law of the First Covenant which required perfect Righteousness in point of Justification and hath made the terms of our Justification easier viz. instead of perfect Obedience God will now accept of imperfect Obedience if sincere and acquit us from Condemnation and receive us to Eternal Life Now such who have always been looked upon as sound in this great Fundamental Point of Justification believe and teach Christ came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it and in our Nature and stead as our Head Representative and Surety to do and perform the terms thereof I mean the Law of Works which we had broken and by his Death made a full compensation to the Justice of God for our breach of it whose Actual and Passive Obedience or Righteousness is imputed to all who believe in him We say Obedience supposeth a Man Justified but these Men say that Obedience concurs with Faith to Justifie or is part of our Righteousness to Justification We affirm as a Worthy Divine Observes that Faith alone perfectly Justifies by trusting in the Righteousness of Christ so that there is no Condemnation to them who are in Jesus Christ Rom. 8. 1. or truly believe in him but they teach that Faith and Obedience Justifie only as the Conditions of the Gospel i. e. as thereby we doing what the Gospel requires of us and so we are Justified or accepted so far as our Faith and Obedience go and no farther and when they are perfect at Judgment we shall be perfectly Justified so that they render our Justification to be as imperfect as our inherent Personal Holiness or Sanctification is imperfect or to give it in the Words of a Learned Writer they intimate while we are imperfect our Justification is imperfect also and if our Faith and Obedience be interrupted or utterly lost Justification is interrupted and utterly lost likewise nor is it any wonder our Justification should be look'd upon by them to be imperfect while any Imperfections remain in us if the perfect