Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A42685
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The nature of justification opened in a sermon on Romans V. 1. By Mr. Gibbons, sometime preacher at Black-Fryers, London.
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Gibbon, John, 1629-1718.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing G651; ESTC R216248
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24,547
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32
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Law of Works Christ's Satisfaction justieth us formally as our proper legal Righteousness I call it our Righteousness because it becomes imputed to us upon our Believing Faith being our Gospel Title by pleading which we lay claim to all the Benefits accruing from the Merit of Christ's Performance to all Effects Uses and Purposes as if it had been personally our own I call it our legal Righteousness because thereby the Law of God owns it self fully apaid and acquiesceth in it as in full Reparations and Amends made unto it for the injury and dishonour received by the Sin of Man We must plead this against all the Challenges and Accusations of the Law who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect it is Christ that died c. Rom. 8.33 And thus our legal Righteousness required in the first Covenant that of Works is wholly without us in our Redeemer yet imputed upon our Account Thirdly The Gospel justifieth quâ Lex lata 3 3. How the Gospel as it is the Law of Faith for the very Tenour of the Gospel-Covenant is Believe and thou shalt be saved Fourthly Faith justifieth vi Legis latae 4 4. How Faith as it is our Evangelical Righteousness or our keeping the Gospel-Law for that Law suspends Justification upon Believing Faith pretends to no Merit or Vertue of its own but professedly avows its dependance upon the Merit of Christ's Satisfaction as our legal Righteousness on which it layeth hold nor can it shew any other Title to be it self our Evangelical Righteousness but only God's Sanction who chose this Act of believing to the honour of being the Justifying Act because it so highly honoureth Christ so that as a most judicious Pen expresseth it the Act of Believing is as the Silver but God's Authority in the Gospel-Sanction is the King's Coin or Image Stamp'd upon it which gives it all its value as to Justification Without this Stamp it could never have been currant and if God had set this Stamp on any other Grace as Love that then would have been currant and have justified us as Faith doth now Fifthly God justifieth in a proper sense two ways 5 5. How God First As a Legislator Secondly As a Judge 1. As a Legislator enacting by his Soveraign Authority that fweet and gracious Law of the New Covenant by vertue of whose Tenour every Sinner that believes is justified from the Guilt of Sin from which he could not be justified by the Law of Moses Acts 13.38 39. This Law of Justification by Faith is God's own Act and Deed the great Instrumentum pacis between God and Man he hath proclaimed his Letters Patents the King of Heaven and Earth hath in the Gospel our Magna Charta given his Warrant under his own Broad Seal That he that believeth shall not be condemned 2. As a Judge the God of Heaven may in three respects be said to justifie a Believer First Forthwith upon his Believing God owneth him secretly within himself as a Person justified God esteems and approves of him as in that state unto which he hath by believing a Title good in Law an indefeasible Right a justified Estate emergeth actually as soon as Faith the Law-Title thereunto emergeth as a necessary Resultance by virtue of the Tenour of the Gospel-Law which only justified Virtually Potentially and Conditionally before every Believer in general but now Actually Absolutely and in particular it justifieth him as a Believer when he is so Secondly At the moment of Dissolution God justifieth as the Judge of all the Earth passing a private Sentence and Award unto everlasting Life upon every believing Soul Thirdly But Eminently at the last Day when the Ancient of Days shall take the Throne and in open Court before the whole Creation by publick Sentence for ever acquit and discharge Believers at that great and last Assizes Sixthly 6 6. How Works Shall I need to add that Works are said to justifie us Jam. 2.4 because they justifie our Faith or demonstrate before God and Man and to our own Consciences that our Faith is not a dead and barren but a true and living one by its fruitfulness in well-doing Seventhly 7 7. How the Spirit But I must not forget Lastly That the Spirit of God is said to justifie us 1 Cor. 6.11 and that two ways First Directly by working Faith in the Heart which is one of the Fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 Now Causa causae est etiam causa causati the Spirit justifieth as it is the Author of the justifying Grace Secondly Reflexibly The Divine Spirit clears up Justification to a Believer's Conscience by discovering the truth of Faith by working Assurance and by sealing a Believer to the day of Redemption The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the Children of God and if Children then heirs c. Rom. 8.16 17. Thus I have at length done with my first Task the opening of the Point which finds its self summed up in this Definition Justification is a judicial act of God as Law-giver and Judge of the world graciously discharging a Believer for the sake of Christ's satisfaction from the condemnation of the Law of Works by the tenour of the Gospel-Law or New Covenant which requireth of accepteth from imputeth unto sinners faith in Christ Jesus as their righteousness see Rom. 3.25 6 7 8. Rom. 4.5 Phil. 3.9 Vse Refut To improve it now which was my other Task by way of Refutation I infer against the Antinomians First That Justification is not from Eternity 1. Because a person must be charged with Guilt before he is justified or discharged but nothing can be before Eternity if discharg'd from Eternity when was he charged what from Eternity too then he will be at once eternally charged with and discharged from Guilt which if any excuse from a Contradiction they are much wiser than I am 2. My Text convinceth them actual Faith is not from Eternity therefore not Justification before God for if Faith justifie us not before God but only at the Bar of Conscience then there will be no Justification at God's Bar at all once mention'd in Scripture for Works do it at Man's Bar. What is it I wonder that justifieth from Eternity Not God's Decree to justifie for then his Decree to glorifie would make Glorification from Eternity too but Decreta Dei nihil ponúnt actu in subjecto God's Decrees are immanent Acts and pass nothing actually upon the Creature 3. A justified person was actually under Condemnation whil'st he was an Unbeliever Rom. 3.18 He that believeth not is condemned already but he could not be at all Condemned if justified from Eternity 4. Saint Paul expresly affirms that the believing Corinthians were not once but now were justified 1 Cor. 6.11 Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus c. Secondly I infer against them that
Justifying grace that are on record in the Scripture What hath been done may be done again Nay will be done again in the case we speak of by the God that changeth not God hath pardoned as great Sinners see Ephraims case Jer. 31.18 see the Corinthians example 1 Cor. 6.10 11. see Pauls 1 Tim. 1.13 Whoever goes and doth likewise shall receive likewise for Christ is yesterday and to day and the same for ever Fifthly Consider it is the very design of God in giving his Son and of Christ in giving himself to die for us to Justifie such as thou art Isa 16.1 Luk. 4.19 20. Jer. 3.12 1. John 5.9 Use 4. Exhort First To the Unconverted Use 4. Exhort Let me then beseech Sinners not to love Death Why should iniquity be your ruin There is Balm in Gilead there is a Physician there Why are ye unwilling to be healed Turn ye Turn ye why will ye die Would it be a hard matter to perswade a Condemned Person to be willing not to be Executed were he not distracted If having a pardon offered upon the easie Terms of confessing his fault and serious promising Amendment he should bid the Prince keep his Pardon to himself for his part he was in love with his Chains he would not be Released he would die Thou art the man whoever thou art that neglectest Gospel-grace what Fury and Raging madness is it that thou art Guilty of Thy Soul with all its Eternal interests lies at Stake and as if it were neither here nor there what became of thee for ever thou despisest the riches of Gods forbearance after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.4 5. Is it well done of thee Sinner is this thy kindness to thy own Soul is this thy thanks to thy Redeemer How inexcusable art thou thy self being Judge thou can'st not answer it to thy Conscience to thy God with the least Colour or Shadow of a reason God sends his Gospel Proclaiming Repent ye and be converted that your sins may be blottted out Acts 3.19 His Ministers Proclaiming We then are Embassadours of Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled unto God 2 Cor. 5. Why dost thou hate thy Soul and say I will not why wilt thou not Is it because it doth not concern thee or because Eternal Life and Death are trifles small little things not worth thy considering or doth any body hinder thee No no our Saviour gives the true account Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life Let me intreat this small request of thee for Gods sake for thine own take the next opportunity and spend half an hour alone let thy Spirit accomplish a diligent search pursue this inquiry to some Issue am I Justified or no if not what will become of me if it should happen sometimes such things fall out that I should die now presently I cannot promise my self that I shall see to morrow morning Thus go on and bring it to something before thou leavest give not over till thou art not only clearly convinced of but heartily affected with thy Guilt not only to see but seel thy self to be the Man who art undone without an Interest in this Justification Be in good earnest thou canst not mock thy God and is there any Wisdom in mocking and cheating thy own Soul What thou do'st do it heartily as unto the Lord as for thy life as one that would not rue thy self-deceiving folly when it cannot be recalled and if thou art hearty and serious in these Reflections 1. Thou wilt deeply humble thy self before the Majesty of the Judge of all the Earth with that self-abhorrence and Confusion that becomes one who feels himself even himself being Judge most righteously condemned 2. Thou wilt Sollicite and Assail the Throne of Grace with all redoubled favours and Holy Passionate Importunities of Prayer and Supplication giving God no rest till he hath given thee his Spirit according to his own promise Luke 11.13 Ezek. 36.26 27. To help thee to perform the conditions of the Gospel Covenant plead his own promise with him Wrestle with him for a broken and clean Heart for Faith for Repentance unto Life for these are not of thy self they are the Gift of God let him not go till he hath Blessed thee with these Blessings in Christ Jesus This will confound every Sinner at the day of Judgement that when he might have had grace yea the Spirit of Grace for asking he either asked not or if he did it was so coldly as if he were contented enough to go without Now if thou art in good earnest God is I assure thee in full as good earnest as thou he is ready to meet thee try but once whether it be in vain to seek him all that ever tried found it good to draw near to God and found him easie to be entreated he useth not to send the Hungry empty away He that commands us to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling he it is that worketh in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2.12 13. Secondly To them that are the Children of God by faith in Christ Jesus Let me beseech them 1. To walk Worthy of God who hath called them to his Kingdom and Glory to adorn their Holy Profession take the Exhortation in Pauls words Col. 2.6 As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him Receive not this Grace of God in vain the interest of your comfort obligeth you hereunto hereby you will know that you know him that you are in Christ Jesus that there is no condemnation to you if you walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8.1 and herein will your Father be glorified if ye bring forth much fruit Joh. 15.6 2. To live up to the Comforts of their State 1 Joh. 3.1 you are already the Sons of God it doth not yet appear what you shall be who shall lay any thing to your charge it is God that Justifies who is he that condemns it is Christ that died c. Rom. 8.33 Go eat thy Bread with joy and put on thy white raiment God now hath accepted thy works Eccles 9.7 8. I conclude this particular and the whole Discourse with the happy effects and proofs of Jufication which every believer hath as good a Right and Title to as the Gospel it self the Word of the God of Truth can give him as I find by those sweet Effects and Consequences set down in my Text and the words next following it 1. Therefore being Justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ 2. By whom also we have accesse by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in hope of the Glory of God 3. And not only so but we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience 4. And patience experience and experience hope 5. And hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us wherefore the righteous shall be glad in the Lord and all the upright in heart shall glory Psal 64.10 FINIS