Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	send_v	son_n	30,173	5	6.6540	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44575	A discourse concerning the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us, and our sins to him with many useful questions thereunto pertaining, resolved : together with reflections more at large upon what hath been published concerning that subject by Mr. Robert Ferguson in his Interest of reason in religion, and by Dr. John Owen in his book styled, Communion with God / by Thomas Hotchkis ...	Hotchkis, Thomas.	1675 (1675)	Wing H2890; ESTC R4137	132,797	236

that they may accord and continue uniformly in one faith and doctrine that this agreement of all God the Father Son and Believers may be a powerful means of convincing the world that Jesus was the Christ sent by God To pray I say to this or the like purpose is this to pray That God and Christ and Believers may become One entire thing Thus have I cited a second Author or Authors should I say forasmuch as there are so many who by their several Epistles do applaud the Divinity of his Book no less than five names The third Author is brought to my hand by Mr. Samnel Rols a zealous Asserter of the Imputation of Christs Righteousness in the sence here challenged in his late Book styled Prodromus who informs me that the words following are the words of the most excellent Mr. Richard Hooker in his Ecclesiastical Polity or in some of his Writings annexed thereunto p. 4. alias 38. But the Righteousness wherein we must be found if we will be justified is not our own therefore we cannot be justified by any inherent quality Yet even the man that is in himself full of sin being found in Christ by faith and having his sin remitted through repentance him God beholdeth with a gracious eye putteth away his sin by not imputing it and accepteth him in Jesus Christ as perfectly righteous as if he had fulfilled all that was commanded him in the Law shall I say more perfectly righteous than if himself had fulfilled the whole Law I must take heed what I say but the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 5.21 That we might be made the Righteousness of God in him Such we are in the sight of God the Father as is the very Son of God himself To this my reply is He calls it his own righteousness not because it was his at what time he spake those words but because it was his at what time he was a Jew and before a Convert to the faith of Christ 1. That Judaism or a Judaical Righteousness is that Righteousness which St. Paul doth call his own and this in opposition to Christianity or the practical knowledg of Christ wherein alone he did desire to be found and therefore it doth not follow from thence that a sinner cannot be justified or freed from condemnation upon the account of any inherent Christian grace or graces 2. A man may be said to be justified by the Righteousness of another and not by his own in a three-fold sence 1. By way of merit 2. By way of form 3. By way of a condition In the first sence it's most true that the Righteousness by which we must be justified is the Righteousness of another even of Jesus Christ the Righteous and not our own 2. But in both the other sences it is altogether untrue For 1. That Righteousness by or to speak more accurately with which a sinner is formally justified or made righteous is alwayes a mans own viz. his pardon or the remission of his sins 2. That Righteousness by which as a condition of his discharge a sinner is justified is always his own and not anothers viz. His own faith It 's true indeed that in respect of procurement both these Righteousnesses with and by which a sinner is justified are Christs and in respect of collation they are Gods but in respect of possession or performance they may be well said to be our own Righteousness they being freely given us of God for the sake of Christ Act. 5.31 And that sinners are in this last sence of the phrase justified by some inherent quality or grace of their own certainly Mr. Hooker would not deny for he in that Citation saith That it is through repentance that our sins are remitted which is as much as to say That by or through repentance a sinner is pardoned justified or not condemned by God 3. The Apostle in saying We are made the Righteousness of God in Christ doth not say either expresly or constructively That we are made more perfectly righteous than if our selves had fulfilled the whole Law no more than he says the same thing in Rom. 5.19 which was for that purpose alledged by Mr. W. Eyre but to no purpose as I have manifested 4. As for the closing words Such we are in the sight of God the Father as is the very Son of God himself I have said enough already declaring how such sayings are not to be justified but to be abominated as most false if not blasphemous there being nothing to be alledged for the excuse thereof save the innocent intention of the Authors I will close this Chapter with a request That the foresaid distinction touching the several sences wherein a man may be said to be justified by the Righteousness of another and not by his own may the rather be observed because it may serve for a two-fold purpose 1. It may be subservient to us how to give a ready and satisfactory answer to that passage of Dr. Owen with certain others in his often cited Book wherein he says p. 167. Christ is made of God to the Saints Righteousness and they will own nothing else to that purpose To this I answer 1. For Christ to be made of God Righteousness to the Saints is not for God to impute Christs Righteousness immediately in it self to them as the Doctor would have it he saying to that purpose as in other places so p. 110. That that perfection of obedience which we have in Christ is imputed to us but in the saving effects of it according to that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 1.30 He is of God made unto us Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption i. e. he is causally efficiently or effectually made all these unto us And one would think that this Doctor should content himself with that sence of the phrase Christ his being made of God Righteousness unto us for he says p. 104. That in the Covenant God becomes our God and we his people and thereby all his Attributes are ours i. e. as to the benefit of them as else-where he interprets it The Doctor doth not say That upon our being in Covenant with God Gods Attributes are imputed to us nor doth he barely and simply say Gods Attributes are ours but he explicates that saying in these words that is as to the benefit of them so that there is just cause to think that the Doctor of any man should rest satisfied with that explication which others do give of such phrases touching the manner of the Imputation of Christs Righteousness or its being made ours they saying of Christs Righteousness as he says of Gods Attributes 2. Though the Saints will own nothing as the meritorious cause of their righteousness pardon or justification but the Righteousness of Christ nevertheless they may and ought to own evangelical obedience i. e. their return to God in faith and repentance as the condition without which the said saving effect or benefit of Christs

it being his right to have the Preheminence in all things Certainly St. Peter's eyes were not opened to see this as his priviledg when he said to our Saviour Depart from me for I am a sinful man O Lord for had he owned any such glorious priviledg or been sensible of the excellency thereof he would in all reason have mated his Lord and Master as I may so say or have set himself cheek by chole with him and have said Abide by me keep not at distance from me for I am as perfectly Righteous as thou art The same Author doth further amplifie and illustrate the said priviledg of the Saints saying p. 12. This Priviledg is not only negative but positive as they are uncloathed and stript of their own filthy garments Zech. 3.4 so they are cloathed upon with the immaculate robe of Christs Righteousness adequate and commensurate to the Law of God by the obedience of one says the Apostle Rom. 5.19 many are made righteous i. e. perfectly and compleatly righteous more than if they had kept the Law in their own persons hereby we come to have boldness and confidence in the sight of God his infinite purity and holiness doth not daunt or discourage us from going to him for as Christ is before him so are all they that do believe in him through that Righteousness of his that is put upon them see Eph. 3.12 Rom. 5.2 But the meaning of those words By the obedience of one many are made Righteous is not as this Author expounds it perfectly and compleatly Righteous more than if they had kept the Law in their own persons but the meaning is They are for the meritoriousness sake of Christs obedience made Righteous with another kind of Righteousness than is that which doth consist in their personal perfect and compleat performance of the Law of God yea with such a kind of Righteousness as is not competible with it viz. with the pardon of their sins or that kind of evangelical justification which is styled The gift of grace v. 15. and the free gift of many offences to justification v. 16. and the gift of Righteousness v. 17. For sinners to be made or constituted Righteous is in the sence of the Apostle as appears by the context to be justified out of the abundance of Gods grace in Christ or to be freely pardoned which no persons can be or be said to be who are as perfectly and compleatly Righteous as if they had kept the Law in their own persons For those who are as perfectly and compleatly righteous and more righteous than if they had kept the Law in their own persons are not justified of grace at all or are they capable of a gracious pardon And as for the boldness and confidence which the Apostle speaks of in Eph. 3.12 and Rom. 5.2 it is an holy boldness and confidence grounded upon their pardon of sin and justification through Gods grace in Christ mentioned in the foregoing Paragraph and not upon any such mis-construction of the sacred Scriptures as this Author was so extreamly over-bold and confident to suggest And whether Believers may be truly As for that in Zech. 3.4 the true sence whereof is here perverted by Mr. Will. Eyre I shall vindicate it from his abuse in Ch. 34 in answer to Dr. Owen by whom it is in like sort perverted also or fitly said to be cloathed with the Righteousness of Christ or to have Christs Righteousness put upon them I shall speak my thoughts more at large in a peculiar Chapter and in answer to that Question purposely put In the mean while I shall presume to say That it is not only false but as I am perswaded blasphemous to say as doth this Author That as Christ is before God so are all they that do believe in him through his Righteousness For Jesus Christ is before God a Saviour of sinners and whereas Believers in Christ are before God sinners still i. e. Rei culpae guilty persons and as such however pardoned they do still stand before God and shall so stand to all eternity Christ is before God the Son of God by nature and Righteous without a pardon whereas Believers in Christ are before God his sons by the adoption of grace and Righteous by or with a gracious pardon in the blood of Christ The next to Mr. Eyre I will quote is the Author of the Book styled The Marrow of Modern Divinity who says p. 127. That God the Father in that voice from heaven Mat. 3.17 and Joh. 12.30 doth chear the hearts of poor sinners and greatly delight them with singular comfort and heavenly sweetness assuring them that whosoever is married unto Christ and so in him by faith he is as acceptable to God the Father as Christ himself according to that of the Apostle He hath made us acceptable in his beloved Eph. 1.6 Wherefore if you would be acceptable to God and be made his dear child then by faith cleave unto his beloved Son Christ and hang about his neck yea and creep into his bosom and so shall the love and favour of God be as deeply insinuated into you as it is into Christ himself and so shall God the Father together with his beloved Son wholly possess you and be possessed of you and so God and Christ and you shall become One entire thing according to Christs prayer That they may be One in us as thou and I are One. I need say little more to the words of this Author than was said to those of Mr. Will. Eyre it being enough for me to say to every Reader of these lines as the High-Priest said to the by-standers at Christs arraignment he indeed causlesly but I justly Ye have heard their blasphemy Only I desire the Reader to observe further 1. How he doth wrong the Apostle by bringing him in to abett him in his said blasphemy I mean by alledging that in Eph. 1.6 as if the Apostle in saying That God hath made the believing Ephesians accepted in the Beloved had said That they were as acceptable to God as Christ himself whereas it will appear That the Apostle did intend by that very expression to insinuate a peculiarity of the Fathers Love to that his only begotten Son who lay in his bosom from all eternity 2. Observe how like a canting Familist he speaks in saying That upon our hanging about Christs neck and creeping into his bosom i.e. upon our believing in Christ God the Father together with his beloved Son will wholly possess us and be possessed of us and so God and Christ and we shall become One Entire Thing 3. Observe how notoriously he doth abuse the words of our Saviours Prayer and our Saviour Christ himself in them as if in praying That Believers might be one as the Father and he were one he had requested That they all may become One entire thing To pray That Believers may keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace