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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	wrought_v	5,634	5	9.6527	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89645	A little starre, giving some light into the counsels and purposes of God revealed in the Scriptures. Or A catechisme, wherein these ensuing principles. 1. What God is, and how he manifests himselfe. 2 Why he made the world and man. 3. Mans condition, what, 1. by creation. 2. By his fall. 3. By being restored by Jesus Christ. 4 The uses and ends of the law. 5. What the Gospell is. 6. Justification what it is. 7. Sanctification what, and how it is wrought. 8. What repentance is. 9. The use and ends of the Scriptures. 10. What true prayer is. 11. Baptisme, and the Lords Supper, why, and how used. 12. Generall redemption what, and how to be adjudged of. 13. Resurrection and judgement what. 14. Heaven and Hell what, in truth and misterie. All which are briefly by way of question and answer opened and explained. / By VVilliam Mason.	Mason, William, Anabaptist.	1653 (1653)	Wing M948; Thomason E1505_1; ESTC R208669	86,553	204

believe not in him and are not thus united and made one with him in the Spirit though they eat his flesh and drink his bloud namely in the carnall and outward use of Bread and Wine yet they have no life in them neither shall they enjoy any true comfort in him nor eternall life by him but shall goe into condemnation Q. But is it not said in the Scriptures that Christ died for all men and that as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation so by the righteousnesse of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life How say you then that some go into condemnation A. Christs death did in some respect reach forth it self unto all men God had a glorious design in making of man and for this end did bring forth this outward creation of all things to be subservient to his glory to help forward this design yea and the Lord was rich in mercy and store and abundantly provided aforehand to keep this design on foot for Christ was that Lamb prepared and slain before the foundation of the world Now if Christ had not died in the purpose and account of God before man had actually sinned then there had been an utter subversion and dissolution not onely of mankind but also of the whole Creation by mans sin But now the death of Christ coming between divine wrath and the whole creation did still give a being unto the same that it should be serviceable in helping forward this glorious design And upon this account meerly it is namely by the death of Christ that all men even the most wicked enjoy a temporall life health riches yea all outward things whatsoever for in this sence he is said to save or preserve man and beast for he doth good to all and makes his Sun to shine and his Rain to fall upon the just and unjust namely the Sun and Rain of his outward providence and thus Christ died for all men and so he is the Saviour of all men But there is a more especial salvation as the Apostle saith He is the Saviour of all men but especially of them that believe and this salvation is not that outward or temporal salvation but an inward and spiritual one and is peculiar onely to them that believe in him and are made one with him and upon this ground it is that the Apostle saith as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousnesse of one the free gift came upon all men to justification as if he had said that as Adam by sinning brought all men into a state of sin and so of condemnation so all that are justified unto life are made just by the free gift and grace of God by faith in the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ so that the words doe not extend that as all men fell in Adam so all without exception should be justified and saved by Christ but onely they who by faith lay hold on the righteousnesse of Christ the which the Apostle declares at large in the 3 4 5 6 7. Chapters In the 3. Chapter he proves all men to be under sin and that by the workes of the Law no man can be justified and that God hath set forth Christ to be a propitiation that whosoever believes should be justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in his bloud In the 4. Chapter he tells them that even Abraham was not justified by or for any work which he wrought but onely by faith in Christ Jesus and that faith was reckoned unto him for righteousnesse and so it shall be to all that doe believe In the 5. Chapter he tells them that justification by faith brings peace and joy into the soul which justification by the work of the Law could not doe because the work was ever doing but never done and they looked upon God in that estate as ever angry But now sayes he we have peace with him and can joy in tribulations for though in Adam we were under condemnation yet now believing in Jesus and looking to him for righteousnesse we are justified unto life Thus the Apostle is farre from intending a general redemption but an especiall salvation by faith in Jesus Christ peculiar onely to them that believe Q. But the Apostle writing to Timothy exhorts that prayer be made for all men because he will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth and further saith that Christ is the Mediator between God and man who gave himself a ransome for all And the Apostle John saith That Christ is the propitiation for the sinnes of the whole world How say you then that salvation is peculiar onely to them who doe believe A. For the clearing of this the meaning of these Scriptures must be inquired into The Apostle indeed exhorts that prayers intercessions and giving of thankes be made for all men for Kings and all in authority and gives a twofold reason First in respect of themselves that so they might live in quietnesse and godlinesse under them The second reason respects God it is his will he is well pleased with our praying for them because he will bring some of all sorts high and low to the knowledge of the truth that so they may be saved And if he say what must we pray for the Gentiles for our Governours are no Jewes is it lawfull to pray for them Yea saith the Apostle God will have all to be saved Gentiles as well as the Jewes for there is but one God and he is the God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jewes and there is but one Mediator between God and man even the man Christ Jesus who gave himself to ransome the Gentiles as well as the Jewes and this mystery was not known to former ages but now in due time it is to be manifested and for this very purpose saith he I am ordeined a Preacher and an Apostle to bring this good tydings to the Gentiles and to assure their hearts that if they believe in Christ they shall be saved and thereof you need not doubt for as Christ who is truth is in me so that which I speak is truth And hereto agrees that of the Apopostle Peter in Acts 10. 34. That God is no respecter of persons but in every Nation Gentiles as well as Jewes he that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him shewing plainly that the purpose of God in bringing in the Gentiles was a secret to that day but now was revealed And where the Apostle John saith That Christ is the propitiation for the sinnes of the whole world he doth not mean every particular person in the world but onely they who walk in the light as God is in the light even these the bloud of Christ doth

partly outward the inward part of the Covenant which was Christ was clouded and very dark as was said before and very little notice taken of it by the greatest part of them But the outward part of it was very plain and easie and they all knew it very well and acted generally according unto it and minded earthly Canaan long life and outward prosperity therein more than heavenly Canaan or the sweet and comfortable enjoyment of God in the lively apprehension of his love and favour But now Christ who indeed is the new Covenant for he is the substance of all those former Covenants being come and having acted his part in the flesh is now revealed in the Spirit for he is that Spirit or power of Gods infinite love proceeding eternally from the Father upon the Son and from the Son upon the Saints and into their hearts and now the Saints look not for Christ in outward observations but in inward and spiritual demonstrations of infinite love shed abroad in their hearts whereby they are transformed and conformed unto Christ their head more and more Neither doe the Saints now look to any outward Covenant for there is no promise made unto them of any outward or temporal things but with persecution and that they shall be contented with their conditions But the Saints look unto Jesus who is the author and finisher of their faith and count it all joy when they are accounted worthy to suffer rebuke for his name And this is the true reason why the Saints walk with God so chearfully and joyfully because they clearly see that they are not justified by or for any work or merit or worth of their own but meerly by the free grace and love of God in and for the righteousnesse of Christ Jesus who is the Lord our righteousnesse both unto justification and also unto sanctification Q. What is justification Or how may sinfull men be said to be justified or made righteous before God A. Justification is an act of Gods free grace and love whereby he through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ hath freely forgiven the sinnes of all his elect and accepts of them in him as perfectly just and righteous But more plainly Justification is that whereby God himself is pleased to condiscend and to cloath himself with our flesh and in our nature and our flesh to fulfill all the righteousnesse of the Law for us and also to subject himself in the flesh to death and curse hereby paying all our debts and satisfying divine Justice on our behalf and so became our righteousnesse for justification All which he hath done freely without any desert or desire on our part Q. But doth not the Scripture say that we are justified by faith What is faith And how are we justified by the same A. There be in Scripture divers kinds of faith mentioned by reason whereof many think that they believe to justification and are deceived for justification is free on Gods part and without any condition at all on our part for if faith were a condition of our justification then it were not free justification being an act of God in his eternal counsell and purpose before the world began if faith were a condition thereof then are we justified for some fore-seen grace in us and not freely by his grace Now faith is neither a meanes nor yet any condition of justification but rather an evidence or demonstration thereof for true faith is that whereby we close with God in the promise of life and salvation in and by Jesus Christ Now this faith is not in us by nature but is wrought in the heart by the manifestation of God in the soul When the Lord is pleased to reveal Christ in the soul and to discover to the same that he is well pleased with him in Jesus and that he hath freely forgiven all his sinnes meerly for the merit and righteousnesse of Jesus and that now he accepts of him as righteous in his beloved Son and that in Christ he hath adopted him to himself to be his Son now when the soul apprehends this then it is thereby enabled to believe it and rests upon it And thus true faith doth not act in the workes of justification but onely believes it when it is revealed in the soul and then believing hath peace with God and can look upon him with comfort and can joy in him in all tribulations Now no man can believe in Jesus Christ untill he be revealed unto him by the Father and according to the measure or degrees whereby God is pleased to discover himself to any man so he can believe or confide in him more or lesse so that it is plain that faith is no meanes or condition of our justification but by faith we believe it and rest confidently assured of it when it is revealed and so have joy and peace in believing Q. But doth not the Scripture say that Abraham was justified by works what say you then of good workes as prayer reading and hearing the word repentance and all other duties of piety and charity are not they required as good meanes of our justification A. The scope of that Scripture is not to declare that Abraham did act any thing in the work of justification for it is said that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousnesse and those good works whereby Abraham is said to be justified doe rather declare him to believe and his faith to be a live than any way to act in the matter of justification For faith as is said before doth not justifie but believes it and applies it true faith works by love and shewes what house it comes of by actions of piety and mercy There is a faith which is dead it being nothing else but a perswasion of a carnal heart which is deceitfull and of this many men brag and boast and cry religion religion but they doe not walk in love neither toward God nor men and this faith profiteth nothing or profitable to no man and is no better than the faith of Devils But true faith where it is indeed it proceeds from a holy seed being begotten by the manifestation or discovery of God in the soul and hath for its ground a word of promise not onely without but especially within and is reall and not in imagination so also it acts like it self and is profitable every way First toward God it gives him the glory of all his wisdome power justice mercy and goodnesse when men can say indeed In the Lord have I righteousnesse and in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength when a man can say now I live yet not I but Christ lives in me yea I can doe all things be any thing suffer any thing through Christ that strengthens me I can be abased and I

of the Gospel A. Whatsoever was practised by the Apostles and Primitive Christians is already declared how they to prevent contention and strife did condescend to the weaknesse of many knowing that in time the Baptisme of the Spirit which is a Baptisme of Fire would eat up the Baptisme of Water as the fire that came down upon Elijahs Sacrifice did lick up all the water that was in the Trench But whatsoever hath been done in Water-Baptisme since that time it is hard to say is or was done with warrant from Scripture but is to be feared was rather a part of that mistery of iniquity which began to work even in the Apostles time And that Baptisme is come in the room of Circumcision was never yet made good by Scripture nor never will It is true God made a Covenant with Abraham and gave him also Circumcision as a sign or seal thereof But the Covenant which God made was twofold Inward and Outward The Inward part respected his soul in the sweet enjoyment of Gods love and favour by Christ Jesus both in this life and in eternall glory The Outward part of it respected the outward man the enjoyment of the land of Canaan with long life and prosperity therein Now so farre as the Covenant was inward and respected his soul so farre Circumcision could not be a seal thereof for nothing could seal the true spirituall love and favour of God to his soul but the Spirit whereby all believers were and still are sealed to the day of redemption But as the Covenant was more outward that he should be the Father of many nations that in Isaac should his seed be called and that he would give the land of Canaan to his seed for an everlasting Possession so farre Circumcision was a seal of the Covenant But now in the daies of the Gospel the new Covenant is a single Covenant that old weak part of it being vanished away and it is now established upon better promises than earthly Canaan For the Covenant which God makes with his people now is altogether inward and Spirituall which is Christ and there is no seal of this Covenant but that Spirit or the Lord Jesus called the Spirit of promise And to make Water-Baptisme or a Carnall thing to be a seal of a Spiritual Covenant which is Christ in the soul sealing up the love of God to the same to all eternity argues much ignorance in the mistery of God and carnall mindednesse in the things of God in a great measure And whereas the Apostle tells the Corinthians their Fathers were baptized in the Cloud and in the Sea That is no warrant for Baptisme at all But he speaks it rather to take them off from depending upon outward Ordinance c. For thus he seems to speak Your Fathers were high in outward Ordinances but they were not very high in Gods favour for they were overthrown in the wildernesse and these things were written for your example c. And for that of the Apostle Peter where he is speaking of the Floud and that in the Arke but a few even eight souls were saved by water and that by a figure Baptisme doth not save us First we must understand that the Ark saved those eight soules from the water And then that the figure here spoken of is not between the floud and water-baptisme But between the Ark which saved them from those great waves and Christ who saves us from the sea even the red sea of Gods fierce wrath as they that did believe and obeyed and prepared an Ark were put into it by God and so saved from death So all that do believe are shut up in Christ and made one with him and so saved from wrath For so saith the Apostle Baptisme doth now save us but not the washing away of the filth of the flesh with water but the answer of a good conscience to God by the resurrection of Christ from the dead If Christ be not risen in the soul and if he raise not the soul from death that man is not baptized indeed though he be washed in water a thousand times And as for Infants that they should be baptized there is not the least intimation in all the Scriptures that they whiles they are such ever were or ever should be baptized If Water-Baptisme were any thing or had any thing in it yet infants are in no capacity at all to apprehend it no not so much as in signification yet they which make a prop of it to hold up their tottering kingdome can see good reason for it and draw goodly consequences from Scripture to help forward the practise of it Q. Though there be nothing in it as indeed there is not it being an outward signe may we not use it therefore in obedience to Christs command as a sign of our ingrafting into him and as an ordinance that gives us admission into Curch-fellowship with the Saints A. The commands of Christ are not empty and barren commands but full of power and efficacy When Christ coms forth in a command then there is a work wrought indeed If Christ say to a dead man live then is he quickned indeed If he command a man to believe then there is faith and confidence wrought indeed If he command the Saints to love one another then it is effected indeed Christs commands where they come and he himself come along in them or else they are not his commands they never return in vaine but do certainly accomplish their work not in imagination but in reality and truth Now if Christ had commanded to Baptize a man or an infant in water certainly some notable work would have been wrought thereby But we see in experience that to dip or to sprinckle in or with a little cold water produceth no effect in the inward man Therefore to Baptize with water as a command of Christ is to offer injury to Christ and to make the commands of Christ which are full of power and life to be empty and fruitless commands which is not safe to imagine Moreover Christs Kingdome is a Spirituall Kingdome and is altogether inward And as it is not attained so neither is it enjoyed with any outward observations Indeed under the Law they had their outward Ordinances and Services and all of them had their significations shewing forth something of Christ of his death and resurrection c. And this Kingdome was more Carnal than Spiritual and they were led on in it by outward and carnal observations But now Christ having finished all his work in the flesh and being come again in the spirit he exerciseth all his Kingly power in the soul and this Kingdome of Christ is the Kingdome of Heaven and there is no signification in it at all but all is reall For it is the glory of God begun in the soul not in imagination but in deed and in

with us in the flesh in this flesh he walked exactly fulfilling all Righteousness for us yea he subjects this flesh to Death and Curse and therein makes the Atonement between God and man Q. Was there no other course to be taken nor any other means to be used to reconcile God and man A. Infinite justice could not be satisfied without the death of some person without shedding of blood there was no remission to be had And forasmuch as all men were sinners and so become weak and neither able to bear the weight of Divine justice nor yet to make satisfaction to the same for the least offence therefore now infinite love works strongly towards poor Man-kind The glorious God assumes mans nature clothes himself with mans flesh and in this nature and this flesh became Surety for man paying all that debt and undergoing all that wrath and curse which was due to man for sin Q. But did not God on Mount Sinai give the Israelites a Law contained in ten Commandements and did he not tell them that upon their obedience and conformity unto the same they should live and be happy A. God indeed gave Israel a Law but it was not his meaning that they should attain happiness by an outward conformity to the same for he had before declared himself to the contrary to Adam in the Seed of the woman again to Abraham saying In thy Seed shall all the Families of the earth be blessed which Seed was Christ Now if he had intended that they should re-gain his favour and so become happy by their obedience to this Law then this former promise had been void and of none effect But then secondly this Law was of such infinite holiness and perfection of righteousness and they having nothing of their own to further them in their obedience and conformity unto it but a nature and disposition continually inclinable to sin and rebel therefore the more they expected happiness from their obedience falling so short in their obedience the more they threw themselves under the curse and so became more miserable Q. Were all men without exception in this weak and low condition Were none of them able to keep the Law A. No not one there was not in any of them any strength at all to endure Gods presence but removed and stood afar off and durst not abide the sight of infinite Righteousness nay the very best of them even Moses was exceedingly terrified at his glorious appearance Q. True indeed they were much affrighted at that sight because the Lord was pleased to shew himself in such a terrible manner in such Thunders Lightnings and Earthquakes but did they tremble or were they terrified at the apprehension of the Law A. Although the beholding of Gods appearance was very terrible and full of amazement yet that was not the onely cause of their fear but the Law that was then delivered was so transcendently holy and righteous and they being conscious to themselves of their former grievous miscarriages and also sensible of their own inability and indisposition to yield any answerable obedience to the same for the future This caused them to fear that divine Justice would presently seize upon them Q. Why did God appear in such a terrible manner at the giving of the Law A. Man in the state of innocency was able to look upon God with comfort the manifest ations of God were his life but when he had sinned the case was altered If he now would look upon him or think to attain his favour by any worth or strength of his own there was nothing to be expected but terrour and danger Cherubims and a flaming Sword Now lest these people should be conceited of their own righteousness as indeed they were therefore he appears in this terrible manner to let them know that there was no comming near unto him nor any favour to be expected from him without perfect righteousness unless they could endure devouring fire and everlasting burnings Q. Since the Law was of such infinite purity and righteousness and all men so prone to evil and averse to that which is good yea and also so weak that they were not able in the least to yield any sutable obedience to the same What then was Gods meaning to command them this Law A. God who is infinite in wisdom and goodness yea and in all other glorious perfections had many excellent ends in giving them this Law although they were not able to obey As first to shew his Soveraignty over them he was their Lord they his servantt he wastheir King they his subjects and were to observe his Lawes which were holy and righteous like himself Secondly God gave them this most holy Law to let them see what man was able to do in time of his innocency before he wilfully disabled himself and therefore he might justly exact the same at their hands Thirdly God gave them this Law especially in such a terrible manner that it might at least restrain them from outward and gross enormities and keep the outward man in good behaviour Fourthly this Law was given to discover sin that thereby they might be convinced of that most abominable and sinful disposition that was in them for all men by nature are ignorant and do not know sin to be sin Besides man is a proud creature and is not willing to know it much less to own it to himself therefore was this most pure and perfect Law given forth that they might not at all plead ignorance but be altogether without excuse But then fiftly The main end and highest intention of God in giving them this Law was to give them to understand that he was a God of such infinite purity and of such transcendent righteousness that there was no favour nor comfortable communion to be had or enjoyed with him but rather a fearful expectation of fiery indignation unless there were in them an answerable holiness and sutable righteousness unto the same Now forasmuch as there was not in any of them any thing at all sutable thereunto but rather a nature and disposition quite and clean contrary to the same his meaning therefore was that they should be driven out of themselves to look for righteousness in the promised Seed which was Christ 1 Cor. 1. 30. Gal. 2. 16 17 21. Phil. 3. 9. Q But were they acquainted with this promise or were they ignorant of it A. They could not be ignorant of the promise because God was pleased to appear alwaies unto them by the name of the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and they very well knew that they were the Seed and Posterity of these men Moreover all the greatest and most eminent works of God were fresh in memory as the Creation the Flood the building of Babel the burning of Sodome with many other of like

can abound I can as well be content to be hungry as to be full fed to be poor as to be rich to suffer as to raign to dye as to live when a man can live in God and unto God above all this world and esteem all things but drosse and dung in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus And true faith is also profitable to men when it is exercised in godly conference building up one another comforting one another and if need require reproving one another when it works in feeding the hungry clothing the naked releiving the oppressed and by doing to every man as we would be done unto This is living faith and it is thus evidenced to be alive Thus we are not justified by nor for our good workes for we are his workmanship created a new in Christ Jesus unto good workes that we should walk inthem Justification where it is indeed will evidence it self by acts of sanctification Q. What is sanctification And how is it wrought A. As Christ is made of God righteousnesse unto us for justification so also for sanctification as he is our justification because he perfectly fulfilled the righteousnesse of the Law for us and paid all our debts yeilding up himself to death for us so also he is become our sanctification by fulfilling the righteousnesse of the Law in our hearts even by living in us As we are justified by his death so we are saved or sanctified by his ●sfe Sanctification is an act of Gods infinite love whereby he takes us out of Adam or the old man and puts us into Christ or the new man and this is the new creation or the new creature when a man that before was unholy profane and to every good work void of judgement is now become through the power of Christ living in him holy unblameable and ready to every good work and this is wrought by the power of God revealing Christ in the soul when Christ is revealed in the soul to be white and ruddy the most excellent the most amiable one in whom God is well pleased and in whom his soul delighteth yea and by whom and in whom he is well pleased with poor sinners and delights in them then that soul is ravished with his beauty which is his love and with beholding or apprehending of it is transformed into the same Image of love more and more Christ is the Saints life and this life is hid in God untill it be revealed and when Christ who is our life doth appear in the soul then the soul lives in his life and appeares with him in glory Now every one in whom Christ lives indeed he conformes them to himself First in death if Christ be risen in the soul then the old man is crucified that the body of sin might be destroyed and the soul is dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God in holinesse through Jesus Christ who lives in him Secondly Where Christ is risen indeed there is a conformity in life Christ being the life living in the soul the soul must needs live indeed and live unto God and not any longer to the flesh for to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace and thus is Christ our sanctification when he arises and appeares in our hearts whereby he transformes and changes us into his own Image even his Image of glory more and more Q. But doth not the Lord in Scripture call men to repentance and promise them life upon condition of the same yea the Lord doth solemnly protest that he delights not in the death of him that dieth but rather that he should repent and turn and live And again why will yee die repent and turn and live yee And our Saviour saith except yee repent yee shall all perish and the Apostles exhort them in the Acts to repent for the remission of sinnes and that their sinnes might be blotted out And again if we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse Doth it not from all these places appear very plain that repentance is necessarily required as a meanes or at least a condition of life A. There is in Scripture a twofold repentance spoken of a repentance of the Law and a repentance of the Gospel The repentance which is of the Law is suteable to that Covenant of workes which the Israelites were under for temporal blessings when they at any time acted contrary to the command then the Lord plagued them sometimes with famine pestilence warre captivity c. untill they did repent and when they repented or ceased from their wicked wayes and works then the Lord would also repent or remove the judgement for temporal blessings were promised upon condition of outward obedience and temporal punishments were diverted or turned away upon their legal repentance and ceasing from their evill wayes In the time of Ezekiels prophesie the Israelites were many of them in captivity already and the rest of them were threatened and when the Lord by the Prophet called for repentance the people thought it was to small purpose to repent seeing their fathers had eaten sour grapes and their teeth were set on edge and that it was but a light businesse to promise them any good upon condition of repentance seeing they did but pine away in their fathers sinnes To which the Lord commands the Prophet to tell them that it was no such matter it was their own sin which was the cause of their misery and that if they would return from their idolatries and other abominations he would cease from punishing of them and hereupon uses that solemn oath As I live I have no delight in plaguing you I had rather yee would turn from your evill wayes and live in your own land why will yee die or why will yee be slain or die by famine or pestilence c. And so our Saviour tells those which spake to him of Pilates cruelty that unlesse they did repent they should likewise perish meaning that some temporal judgement would overtake them and thus legal repentance served onely for the preventing or diverting of temporal punishments But repentance which is of the Gospel is not any meanes or condition of life for eternal life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and it is a free gift and not purchased by repentance nor yet promised nor given upon condition of repentance for it is not sin nor Satan nor death it self can make a separation between them that are elected and the love of God in Christ Jesus which is eternal life The Lord who hath promised is not a man that he should lie or the son of man that he should repent in this respect Now this repentance is called godly sorrow and it is wrought by the working power of