Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	abraham_n	faith_n	perfect_a	4,924	5	9.0614	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36887	Abraham's faith stated and applied a sermon preached February 16, 1695/6 / by Geo. Duncumb ...	Duncumb, George, 1661 or 2-1743.	1697 (1697)	Wing D2609; ESTC R14747	11,585	30

present and so may well be called by him as tho' they were should wait the issue and event and therefore he foreseeing certainly at the time when Abraham believed the Promise concerning receiving a Son that he would readily resign him up or frankly surrender him back by making an Oblation of him whenever he should call for him I say this being as perfectly known unto God then as at any time afterwards he might very well make the imputation beforehand And now that God has really an Eye to this very thing in imputing righteousness unto Abraham is very evident from the words immediately foregoing and following my Text So that we have an infallible Interpretation to warrant the Application for in the Two Verses next before the Text we read expresly that Abraham our Father was justified by Works and that particularly when he had offer'd his Son Isaac upon the Altar whereby his Faith was made perfect Whence the Apostle makes this Inference or Conclusion And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness How was the Scripture fulfilled how did it receive its completion By the bare believing the Promise No but by his Expression of Obedience to God's Command in being ready to offer up his only Son The Design of St. James is to prove That Christians are justified by Works and not by Faith only For which purpose he alledges the Example of Abraham the Father of the Faithful affirming that he was therefore justified because he obey'd Ye see then says the Apostle just after the passage cited in my Text how that by Works a man is justified and not by Faith only Which is as much as to say 'T is apparent from the forementioned Example that Obedience to God's Commands as well as Belief of his Promises must concur to the making any person accepted or approved of God So that either the Apostle did not rightly understand the Saying of Moses Either he mistook the meaning and misapplied it which no good Christian can say or else it must be taken as you have heard it now explained namely in conjunction with that after-Act which God saw would be performed in its season in the proper time appointed for it But because it may be objected That St. Paul seems to have been of another mind and in his Relation of it to put a different or rather a clean contrary construction upon it 't is necessary I should attempt a clear solution of this difficulty by shewing their real Concord notwithstanding this appearing contradiction The Apostle of the Uncircumcision having declared in Rom. 3.28 That a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law he proceeds in the Fourth Chapter to illustrate this point at large where at the 3d v. he cites the same passage that St. James does here in my Text and thence argues against the boasted righteousness of the Jews in observing the Mosaick Law especially the discriminating parts of it which they were wont to press as necessary to Justification and shews that as Abraham was justified without them so shall his Seed be after him But in all this there is nothing inconsistent with St. James's assertion for St. Paul does not exclude Works or suppose that Abraham's Faith was not approved by them But he only rejects those Legal deeds which the Jews obtruded and cried up for righteousness such as Circumcision Sacrifices the Mosaick differences of clean and unclean Meats as also their setting up a meer human Righteousness in consisting in outward Acts and the like These he knew would never commend any man to God these therefore he condemns as superseded or set aside by the Gospel And that these are what he means by Works is evident from his declaring to those who laid so much stress upon them as to trust wholly to them that Abraham's righteousness was imputed when uncircumcised and consequently could not be on the account of any such Works as were before specified But rather such as he would have Christians or all that believe in God charged carefully to maintain Tit. 3.8 The Law of Moses being the Law of their Commonwealth whose breaches were triable in their own Courts the manner of the Jews was to esteem themselves righteous in the Eye of their Law as the World does in case of other Political and State Laws when they are not liable to be brought in trouble or indicted upon them before any of their own Tribunals Hereupon measuring themselves only by external Acts which alone are cognizable in human Courts the orderly Livers among them made no more scruple of asserting their Righteousness in the Eye of their Law than any good Subjects do in pleading their innocence as to the Laws of their respective Countries As we find St. Paul himself did in setting off his Jewish Confidences saying That touching the righteousness which is in the Law he was blameless that is had done nothing that could be alledg'd against him before any of their Tribunals Phil. 3.6 So that upon the whole matter when St. Paul affirms that Abraham was justified by Faith and not by Works without all peradventure he means such a lively Faith as did constantly demonstrate its sincerity by suitable affections and actions a Faith working by love and so made acceptable to God through Christ the Promised Seed even without performing perfect unsinning Obedience and without Conforming to the Rites of the Mosaick Precepts Which are the Two things that St. Paul certainly means by Works whereever he explodes them or sets up Faith in opposition to them and particularly in the instance before us Agreeably hereunto it is observable That when the same Apostle speaks of Abraham's Faith in another Epistle where he makes it his business to magnify and extol it exceedingly and so cannot be thought to have omitted what was most praise-worthy he takes no notice of his believing the Promise but makes mention only of his obeying the Command as may be seen in Heb. 11.17 18. By Faith saith he Abraham when he was tried offer'd up Isaac and he that had received the promises offer'd up his only-begotten Son Of whom it was said That in Isaac shall thy seed be called The Story is related more fully in Gen. 22. and the Substance of it is this It seems some time after the Promise to Abraham was fulfilled in that Sarah his Wife conceived and brought forth a Son it pleased God as he had purposed of old to make a further trial of his Faith such as might deserve to be a standing Monument throughout all Ages to the end of the World God said unto him v. 2. Take now thy Son thine only Son Isaac whom thou lovest and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of Abraham did not more easily believe the strange Promise than he readily obey'd this hard Command for instead of murmuring like