Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A42449
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The apostles Paul and James reconciled in the point of justification, and the controversies about it among Christians amicably composed
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Gataker, Charles, 1614 or 15-1680.
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1670
(1670)
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Wing G304A; ESTC R216435
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8,334
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his divine Belief to be what really it was Heavenly Supernatural Evangelical and Soul-saving Righteousness 14. Credimus totam nostram justitiam posit am esse in peccatorum nostrorum remissione quae sit etiam ut testatur David uniâ—a nostra felicitas Gallic Confess Art 18. Crâ—dimâ—s â—â—stâ—â—â—am bâ—â—titudinem sitam esse in prâ—catorum nostrorum propter Jâ—â—um Christum remissione atque in ea justitiam nostram coram Deo contineri ut David Paulus docent c. Belgic Confess Art 23. Dr. Owen in his Book of Justification p. 478. supposeth That the Pardon of Sin can in no tolerable sense be called the Gift of Righteousness Pardon of Sin is one thing and Righteousness another As to which I grant that Pardon of Sin can in no tolerable sense be counted the Righteousness of the Law as distinct from the Gospel because that stands in perfect and perpetual Obedience and the Law being once broken can never by it self justify the Transgressor but only curse and condemn him But the Righteousness of the Gospel as distinct from the Law stands in perfect pardon of Sin for the sake of Christ through Faith in his meritorious Cross and Passion causing in us holy Love and sincere Obedience to all God's Commands whereby we do Evangelically fulfil the Divine Law This perfect pardon of Sin is perfect Evangelical Righteousness it hath no flaw or defect at all it gives us boldness with God and sure confidence at his Bar it frees the Conscience from inward Guilt Terror Curse and Condemnation and these being abolished in their room come Righteousness Joy Peace with God spiritual Consolation some degree of Victory over the World the Flesh the Devil Death and the Gates of Hell Tho our Faith and Repentance be weak and imperfect yet being genuine and sincere they qualify and make us meet for and worthy of perfect Pardon of Sin for the sake of Christ And having this perfect Pardon of Sin we are blessed we need no other Righteousness for Justification and Admission into the Kingdom of Heaven dying pardoned we are most surely for ever happy and blessed This perfect Pardon of Sin is the Righteousness of God in Christ he is the sole Author of it it is not legal but supra-legal Righteousness a more Noble Divine Transcendent Sublime Glorious Mysterious Sure Stable Permanent Sweet and Precious Righteousness than that of the Law such as Adam had before his Fall for that was defectible but so is not this for as I before noted of God whom he justified them he also glorified 15. Mr. Truman in his Great Propitiation p. 258. holds That there is no such thing as receiving Righteousness or Justification or Pardon As this Assertion contradicteth many plain Scriptures Ps 24.5 Rom. 5.11 17. Acts 10.43 26.18 1 Cor. 4.7 Joh. 3.27 so it is contrary to the Grounds of Religion For if there be no such thing as receiving Righteousness or Justification or Pardon then there is no such thing as giving them in Christ and then we have these supream Blessings of Debt and not of Grace and then we owe no Thanks at all to God for them but God is altogether beholden to us for our Merits and not we to him for any special and differencing Grace If it be said that our Receiving is but Metaphorical it will unavoidably follow that God's giving heavenly good Things in Christ is but Metaphorical and so we can owe him but Metaphorical Thanks which Doctrine Christian Ears cannot bear to hear 16. There are two kinds of Receiving 1 Cor. 4.7 Mat. 23.14 Rom. 13.2 Heb. 2.2 Jam. 3.1 Luke 23.41 Rom. 11.35 36. Voluntary and Involuntary In the former sense all Elect Angels and Men receive the first and the last Grace from God the beginning the middle the end even all in this receiving they are free and not forced willing and not unwilling for no one can be Holy and Happy against his will In the latter sense all the Devils and Reprobates in Hell receive Damnation as the due reward of their Deeds in this Receiving they are forced and not free unwilling and not willing though they love Sin yet they do not love Hell and though they are willingly wicked yet they are unwillingly damned 17. Le Blanc Thes Theolog. de Remiss peccator num 15. God did from everlasting purpose and determine in time for the sake of Christ and of his meritorious Cross and Intercession to give Faith and Repentance and consequent Pardon and Justification to Peter and Paul and the rest of the Elect and to none other This supposed their Faith and Repentance and consequent Pardon and Justification are from Eternity infallibly future and sure to be and things future are as present to God who calleth those things which be not as though they were Rom. 4.17 But then it is plain that till God give them Faith and Repentance they remain faithless and impenitent dead in Sin and reprobate to every good Work and till they do sincerely believe and repent they remain unpardoned unjustified condemned already under the Wrath of God accursed and liable to eternal Perdition As God's purpose to create is not Creation it self John 3.18 36. Ephes 2.1 2 3. Tit. 1.15 16. 1 Pet. 2.9 10. Gal. 3.10 1 Cor. 16.22 and God's purpose to judg the World is not judging it so God's purpose to give Faith and Repentance is not giving them and his purpose to pardon and justify is not Pardon and Justification they truly differ as Cause and Effect as Antecedent and Consequent which two being confounded there must needs be Error and Confusion throughout the whole Frame and Method of Practical Divinity 18. By Grace are ye saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the Gift of God not of Works lest any Man should boast Ephes 2.8 9. Therefore it is of Faith that it might be by Grace to the end the Promise might be sure to all the Seed Rom. 4.16 It is by divine Belief of the Doctrine of Repentance and Remission of Sins in Christ's Name and by divine Belief only that we discern spiritual Things spiritually chuse the way of Truth renounce the way of Sin give Glory to God trust wholly and only in him and his eternal Grace and Mercy in Christ for pardon of Sin and Life Eternal receive Jesus Christ and all Spiritual Blessings in him overcome Satan and the World walk with God in Holiness and Comfort and ending our Course in true Faith we pass to Heaven Dr. Preston of God's All-sufficiency p. 12. where Faith is turned into Vision and Hope into Fruition And therefore it is that this same divine Belief is in the Scripture so frequently said to be reckoned counted and imputed to us for Righteousness Jam. 2.23 Gal. 3.6 Gen. 15.6 Rom. 4.3 5 9 10 22 23. 19. We read of the ancient Saints who through Faith wrought Righteousness Heb. 11.33 Here are three things clearly distinct the Agents the Instruments and the Work wrought 1. The Agents and those are real Saints such as Abel Enoch Noah Abraham Moses David God's Elect and peculiar Ones 2. The Instrument by which they did act and work and that is Faith and Faith only the divine Belief of the Doctrine of Repentance and eternal Redemption to lost Mankind for the sake of Christ the sole Mediator between God and Men. 3. The Work wrought by them and that is Righteousness consisting in Piety towards God in Justice and Charity towards our Brethren in Sobriety Temperance and Chastity towards our selves 20. This I think is the true way of reconciling Paul and James and the only sound Mean between the two pernicious Extreams of the Antinomians and Legalists The Doctrine of the Antinomians subverteth Natural Religion and sets up all Impiety Licentiousness and abominable living by Law for that it teacheth Pardon of Sin and evangelical Justification by an imaginary and unscriptural imputation of Christ's Righteousness before and without Faith and Repentance The Doctrine of the Legalists subverteth Supernatural Religion and leadeth to despair for that it confoundeth the Law and the Gospel Moses and Christ and makes Eternal Salvation to be of Debt and not of Grace Jude 3. It was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints FINIS