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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	abraham_n	faith_n	justify_v	41,225	5	9.5277	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29090	The doctrine of free-grace, no doctrine of licenciousnesse, or, That Gods free unconditionall pardoning of sinne is the best way to mortifie the power of sinne in believers asserted and cleared by Edward Bagshawe ...	Bagshaw, Edward, 1629-1671.	1662 (1662)	Wing B410; ESTC R5497	30,451	48

vers 20. Because by the Law is the knowledge of sinne i. e. A strict and impartiall view of the Law in its latitude and spirituall significancy and comparing of our Lives with it is so farre from discovering the Rectitude of our Nature and Actions that it rather serves to manifest the Obliquity and sinfullness of them both And therefore there must be some other expedient found out to Acquit or Justifie men in the sight of God vers 27. than an appeal unto the Law of Works and that is the Law of Faith as the Apostle speaks The Righteousness of God i. e. which avails before God vers 22. and is accepted by him is by Faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe for there is no difference For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God whereby is meant either the Graces which God requires or the Happiness which he promises Men were not of themselves able to perform the one and therefore had no Right or Title unto the other whereupon it follows that all such as are Justified are Justified Freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in or by Jesus This Doctrine which doth so levell the Pride of man by putting his Salvation quite out of himself and therein is utterly contradictory to humane conception the Apostle foresaw would meet with great opposition and therefore that he might Assert and Clear this Fundamentall Truth from all possibility of Cavill he urges and answers three of the main Objections which either are or can be alleaged against it Object 1 The first Objection is taken from the Example of Abraham concerning whom the common opinion of the Jews was that he was Justified by Works which they gathered from Gods renewing his Blessing upon him after his signall obedience in attempting to offer his sonne For now I know Gen. 22.12 saith God that thou fearest God seeing thou hast not withheld thy sonne thine onely sonne from me And again Because thou hast done this thing vers 16 17. and hast not withheld thy sonne thine onely sonne In blessing I will bless thee Whereupon the Apostle James seems clearly to Affirm that Abraham was justified by his Works in that Question Was not Abraham our Father Justified by Works when he had offered Isaac his sonne upon the Altar To this Instance Answ the Apostle answers by directly denying that Abraham was Justified by Works for proof of which he quotes a place out of the Old Testament Gen. 13.6 That Abraham believed in God and it i. e. that Faith of his was imputed to him for Righteousness Which was spoken of Abraham long before he had received Circumcision and done that Signall and Heroick Action by which the Sincerity and Truth of his Faith was evidenced So that the Apostle James words cannot be understood as if he intended to decide whether Faith or Works did Justifie but onely that he determins what kind of Faith it was which Justified viz. not a Naked and Barren but an Effectuall and Working Faith And that Abrahams was such a kind of Faith he manifested afterwards in undertaking so Perillous and Dangerous a Task meerly in obedience to Gods Command From whence it follows that if Abraham who is stiled the Friend of God did attain to the esteem of being reputed Righteous before God meerly upon the account of his Faith then all others whose highest commendation is onely to be the Followers and Imitators of Abraham have no other way of obteining True Righteousness but by treading in the same footsteps of Faith which the Patriark Abraham walked in as the Apostle concludes Rom. 4.23 24. It was not written for him i. e. for Abraham alone that it was imputed to him But to us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the Dead Object 2 The second Objection against this Doctrine is taken from that seeming Absurdity and Contradiction which would follow should men think of being saved by the Righteousness of another For as every man is to be condemned onely for his own sinnes so it seems to be most Just and Equall that every man should be saved onely for his own Righteousness according to the Reasoning of God himself who doth not onely say that the Wickedness of the Wicked Ezek. 18.20 but likewise that the Righteousness of the Righteous shall be upon him Answ 2. To this Objection the Apostle excellently answers throughout the whole fifth Chapter of this Epistle by drawing a parallel between Adam and Christ who were the two great Heads and Representatives of all Mankind in their severall Estates Now if it shall appear that Adam destroyed his Race by the Imputation of his sinne then it cannot be Unreasonable to believe that Christ may save his Race by the Imputation of his Righteousness But that Adam destroyed his Race by the Imputation of his sinne appears clearly from hence in that Death which is the Wages of sinne vers 14. doth actually ceaze those who never Actually sinned and therefore could be but liable to it onely upon the Account of Transmitted Derivative and Imputed sinne as he Argues Death reigned from Adam to Moses even over those that had not sinned after the similitude of Adams Transgression i. e. over Infants From whence he inferres As by one mans disobedience Many i. e. All who descend from him by Naturall Generation were made sinners so by the obedience of one man Many i. e. all who are related to him by Faith and supernaturall Regeneration shall be made Righteous Nay by how much Christ is a greater Person than Adam the one being formed from Earth the other 1 Cor. 15.47 being the Lord from Heaven by so much shall the Obedience and Righteousness of that One more avail to Save than the Unrighteousness and Sinne of the other did to Destroy And this the Apostle clears in two Particulars 1. In Extent of the Pardon which is to many sinnes whereas the Condemnation was onely for One. For saith he the Judgment or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Guilt was by one i. e. Offence to Condemnation but the free-gift is of many Offences vers 16. unto Justification In Adam one sinne and that of the lesser sort stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a slip or so was sufficient to undoe a World But in Christ Many sins how aggravated and circumstanced soever shall not be sufficient to destroy one Soul 2. In the Excellence of the purchase Adam by his Sinne purchased Death and Damnation which is like a Motion down-hill very Naturall and easie to be conceived For that a Creature should die that a Sinner should be sentenced may without any Difficulty be imagined But Christ purchased Life Eternall which is like a Motion up-hill very Hard and exceeding Difficult to be comprehended From whence the Apostle concludes that where Sinne i. e. the Guilt or Demerit of Adams Sinne

Liberality of the Invitation There is no condition so sad but there is some word of Invitation or other which particularly concerns that condition Prov. 9.4 5. Isa 55.1 Mat. 11.29 Rev. 22.17 The Foolish and simple in Proverbs The Hungry and Thirsty in Isay The Weary and Heavy-laden in Matthew and which is beyond all Whoever will in the Revelations Whoever will let him come and drink of the Water of Life freely There cannot be any thing more free and more inviting than this that whoever will may be sure of Well-come I doe not say that any Man hath this will of or from himself but this I say that he who hath a Will hath a Warrant and may boldly come to Christ and claim the benefit of his Promise Especially since Justification dependeth not at all upon our Working but upon our Willing as the Apostle hath it to him that worketh not that is that bringeth no meritorious works along with him but believeth on him that justifies the Ungodly his Faith is counted for Righteousness Lastly Consider the Tender and the Compassionate Nature of Christ how he never refused any that came unto him And therefore Lepers the Blind and Lame Publicans and Sinners had on earth most both of his Presence and Power The same Promises which brought them he hath left to encourage us when he sayes Every one that my Father giveth me will come unto me and He that cometh to me Joh. 6.37 I will in no wise cast out He that saith of himself He came not onely to save but likewise to seek that which was lost will not be harsh to any who are now upon the point of returning to him Hence we read that Peter who denied Paul who persecuted the three thousand in the Acts who crucified him were all upon their Repentance received by him Our Saviour hath the same Bowels still and though he hath changed his Place yet he hath not changed his Nature Heb. 4.15 16. Wherefore in the Apostles words since we have not an High-Priest which cannot be touched with our infirmities Let us come with boldness unto the Throne of Grace that we may obtain Mercy and find Grace to help in a time of Need. And so much for the first Point Doct. 2 The second Point to be handled was this That Nothing is more effectuall to mortifie the power of In-dwelling Sinne than to consider how Free and Absolute Gods Grace is in pardoning it By Free here that I may repeat what I mentioned a little before I doe not mean Free as excluding Christ in consideration of whom God is thus Free to Pardon as the expressions run 2 Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself And Rom. 3.24 We are justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus And In whom i. e. in Christ we have redemption through his Blood the forgiveness of Sinnes according to the Riches of his Grace But I mean Free as excluding our selves or any thing we can doe either as a Cause procuring or as a Condition qualifying us for receiving this Grace In this sense that the Freeness of Gods Grace is the best way to mortifie the Power of In-dwelling Sinne will appear 1. From Instances 2. From Reason 1. For Instances here is one occurres in the Text How shall we i. e. Believers who are dead to Sinne live any longer therein i. e. In us this Doctrine being rightly understood hath wrought to the killing of Sinne since we now learn how much we are indebted to Christ and therefore something must be done to express our Thankfullness which he prosecutes throughout the following Chapter and uses an Argument to draw them off from sinning which at first sight may seem Harsh and Inconsequent but indeed is most demonstrably efficacious Ye shall not sinne or sinne shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law which like Pharaohs Task-masters requires the whole tale of Brick and allows no straw but ye are under Grace ye now stand in those termes with God that he gives strength and accepts of what you doe in proportion to that Ability which he bestows and for this Reason Sinne shall not have dominion over you So again the Apostle in his Epistle to the Galatians handling the same subject he layes down this Position Gal. 2.16 That a man is not justified by the Works of the Law but by the Faith of Jesus Christ Against which he brings an Objection But if saith he while we seek to be justified by Jesus Christ we our selves also are found sinners is therefore Christ the Minister of sinne i. e. If we who profess to be justified by Christ alone doe notwithstanding sinne daily will it not thence follow that this Doctrine makes men careless as if thereby they might take occasion to sinne more freely To this the Apostle answers as he doth here first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Farre be it and then he urgeth to the contrary his own example I am crucified together with Christ Gal. 6.14 and in another place Farre be it that I should glory in any thing save in the Cross of Christ by which the World is crucified unto me and I unto the World And what he affirms of himself we find him in another place ascribing unto all Believers of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They who are Christs Gal. 5.24 i. e. who by Faith have received and are united to him have crucified the Flesh i. e. their corrupt and sinfull Nature with the Affections and Lusts i. e. have rooted up as it were the very Fibres and lesser particles by which sinne was fastned and incorporated into them And the Reason of this is clear Reason Because He who is once truly in Christ i. e. who hath rightly apprehended him forthwith becomes a New creature as the Apostle argues Christ saith he 2 Cor. 5.15 17 died for All i. e. Believers that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them From whence he inferres Therefore if any man be in Christ be is a New Creature i. e. he is altogether another kind of person than he was before What the meaning of those words New Creature are will best appear by comparing two places of Scripture together In one place it is Gal. 6.15 In Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Uncircumcision but a New Creature which in another place runs In Jesus Christ Gal. 5.6 neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love From whence it appears that in the Apostles sense to be a New Creature is nothing else but to have a Faith working by Love which our old Nature is no more capable of than Darkness is of Light but as soon as ever the Spirit of God begets Faith in the Heart of any that Faith presently produceth Love as Fire begets Heat and then Love enflames and