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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	attain_v	law_n	righteousness_n	5,866	5	9.1807	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70157	A just defence and vindication of Gospel ministers and Gospel ordinances against the Quakers many false accusations, slanders and reproaches. In ansvver to John Horwood his letter, and E.B. his book, called, A just and lawful tryal of the ministers and teachers of this age, and several others. Proving the ministers calling and maintenance just and lawful, and the doctrine of perfection by free justification, preached by them, agreeable to the scriptures. VVith the Quakers objections answered. And the Quakers perfection by hearkning to, and obeying a light within them, proved contrary to the scriptures. And their practices in ten particulars proved contrary to the commands and examples of Christ and his apostles. By a lover of gospel ministers and gospel ordinances.	Gaskin, John, fl. 1660.	1660 (1660)	Wing G290; ESTC R223664	109,852	161

the Apostle What doth it profit though a man say he hath Faith and have not Works shew me thy Faith without thy Works and I will shew thee my Faith by my Works according to Christs own words Let your light so shine before men that they may see you good works and glorifie your father which is in Heaven Also the Apostle Paul writing to Titus I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be carefull to maintain good works these things are good and profitable unto men as the Prophet David saith My goodnesse extendeth not to thee but to the Saints that are in the earth So that there is a necessity of good works though not for our Justification namely Gods glory it being the end of our Creation and Redemption and the good and benefit of others for we were not made for our selves but for the good and benefit one of another Also good works the fruits of Faith I conceive are necessary and profitable for those that do them in Faith to evidence aud manifest the truth of their Faith unto themselves though Doctor Crips and several others were of a contrary opinion for although it be true which Christ saith By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one to another yet it is also true which the Apostle John saith We know that we are translated from death to life because we love the brethren He that loveth not his brother abideth in death also in that prayer which Christ taught his Disciples Forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors Now when God hath given us a heart to forgive the wrongs and injuries of men against us it is a good sign of Gods forgiving of us and this the Disciples of Christ doth evidence when Christ said unto them If thy Brother trespasse against thee seven times a day and seven times a day return saying I repent thou shalt forgive him and the Apostles said unto the Lord Increase our Faith The Apostles apprehended that they had need to have their Faith increased to believe the forgivenesse of their sins that so they might forgive their Brother so many trespasses against them for if a man have no apprehension of Gods mercy in forgiving his sins he can have no true seeling bowels of mercy to forgive others But having by Faith apprehended the free love and favour of God in Christ in forgiving our sins our hearts are so warmed and inflamed in the same that we cannot but forgive others for as the Apostle saith The love of Christ constraineth us and ye your selves are taught of God to love one another Now I hope by this you will be convinced that this doctrine of being Justified and Saved only by the righteousnesse of Christ is no doctrine of carnal liberty to sin and to live idly without doing good works but contrary that it is the only ground and foundation of all good works But because I have often heard some of your Teachers say that a man is saved by the hearkning to the light within him and obeying the same which is a doctrine I have heard taught in the open street in Branford Market by Benjamin Wallis one of the Quakers teachers Wherefore I shall endevour to cleer that to your understandings if you will not shut the eyes of your understanding against the truth Now that there is a light in every man which is a false light by nature teaching him that by doing and obeying the Law of God he shall be saved I deny not but that this light is Christ that I deny but say it is the light that is naturally in every man since the fall of Adam For as Adam did lose the estate of Innocency by disobeying Gods Commandement in eating of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of good and evill so did he naturally think that by obeying or doing he should recover himself again and therefore The Lord placed at the East end of the garden of Eden Cherubims and a flaming Sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life knowing that Adam naturally did think to recover his estate by eat●ng of the tree of Life as he lost it by eating of the tree of Knowledge of good and evil and this is natural to all the Sons and Daughters of Adam to believe that they shall come to an estate of blessednesse and happinesse by what they do and therefore the Lord when he gave the Law of the Ten Commandements gave it with Thunder and Lightning and Fire so that the Children of Israel were afraid and desired Moses that he should go neer and here all that the Lord our God shall say and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee and we will hear it and do it and the Lord said I heard the voice of the words of this people they have well spoken all that they have said Now Moses was to stand between God and the people in which Moses was a type of Christ The Lord your God shall raise up a Prophet among your selves like unto me him you shall hear which was Christ for God never gave the Law to that end that men should be Justified and Saved by it but that it might be the ministery of condemnation to drive them unto Christ for the Law is a School-master to drive us to Christ and so long as we live to shew us ous sins and be a rule of obedience unto us and yet the veil of Moses Law is still upon the hearts of the Jews and many of the Gentiles unto this day for as the Apostle saith The Jews which followed after the Law of righteousnesse have not attained to the Law of righteousnesse Wherefore because they sought it not by Faith but as it were by the works of the Law and thus you may see the natural light in many others did lead them and teach them this way of doing or working for life and Salvation The young man in the Gospel that came unto Christ said Good Master what good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life Christ answereth him according to his question and saith If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandements and asking which Commandement said all this have I kept from my youth up what lack I yet and then Christ sets him such a task that he knew he would not do If thou wilt be perfect go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor and he went away sorrowfull Now the end of Christs words was to convince him of the impossibility of attaining eternal life by doing Also the Jews that came unto Christ at Capernaum said Minde What shall we do that we might work the works of God and Christ answered them plainly This is the work of God That ye believe on him whom he hath sent

Also those that were convinced at Peters Sermon said unto Peter ●nd the rest of the Apostles Men and brethren what shall we do that false light within them taught them nothing but to do but the Apostle Peter answereth them Repent and be Baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins for the promise is unto you and to you Children Also the Keeper of the Prison came to Paul and Silas and brought them out and said Sirs what must I do to be saved and they answered and said Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved The light in him could not direct him what to do without the Apostles teaching who taught them to do nothing but to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ but if the Apostles had been Quakers they would have said to him Hearken to the light within thee and obey the same and thou shalt be saved but the Apostles knew no such doctrine The false Apostles taught such doctrine for after the Apostle Paul had planted the Church of Galatia by the preaching of the Gospel there presently after came false Teachers who bewitched the Galatians with this doctrine That the works of the Law are to be joyned with Christs righteousnesse for our Justification and Salvation The Apostle saith I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called yon into the grace of Christ unto another Gospel which is not another but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the Gospel of Christ Minde The Apostle doth not marvel that they were so soon removed from him that called them to hearken to the light within them and obey that but that called you into the grace or favour of Christ and tells them that those which taught them to joyn Faith and Works together in the point of Justification were not Preachers of the Gospel but perverters of the Gospel for saith he We through the Spirit wait for the hope of the righteousnesse by Faith Minde the Apostle doth not say we wait for the revelation of a light within nor a shaking quaking fit by the Spirit that is from the spirit of the Devil and not from the Spirit of Christ And as these Galatians had a natural inclination after the doctrine of Justification and were soon drawn away by that and the false Teachers so is there the same in all men naturally because Man naturally would fain sacrifice to his own Net he would have something in himself he cannot indure to be robbed and spoiled of all his good works he would fain have some glory to himself like the Pharisee who thanked God he was not as other men but did many good works and like those proud hypocritical Jews who said stand farther off I am holier then thou But now this doctrine of free Justification in and by the righteousnesse of Christ alone without works taketh away all glory from a Man robbeth him of all and giveth all glory to God in Christ alone Now take this for a sure rule for tryal of doctrine that doctrine which giveth most glory to God and taketh away all glory from Man that is the true doctrine but this doctrine of being perfectly justified in and by the righteousnesse of Christ alone doth give most glory to God and take glory from Man therefore the true doctrine of Christ Having answered your objections against this doctrine of being justified in and by the righteousnesse of Christ alone I shall answer your grounds upon which you build your perfection in your selves by the hearkning to the light within you and obeying the same Christ saith be ye perfect as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect To which I answer that a Christian is said to be perfect by Sanctification in regard of the parts of Sanctification because every part is Sanctified as a Man childe is said to be a perfect Man so soon as it is born in regard it hath all the parts of a Man but those parts are not grown to perfection so a Christian is perfect in regard of all parts of perfection but not in regard of the measures or degrees and that is Christs meaning be ye therefore which therefore doth imply a wherefore and doth relate to the words going before Ye have heard it hath been said thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy But I say unto you love your enemies blesse them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despightfully use you and persecute you that you may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven For he maketh his Sun to shine or rise on the evil and the good and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust Be ye therefore perfect as your Father is perfect Have you the same part or quality of perfection as your Father hath but who can say he loveth his enemies in that measure and degree as God our Heavenly Father loved his enemies that he sent his only begotten Son to dye for his enemies I am certain to Quaker hath that perfection for in stead of blessing and praying for their enemies they curse them as I shall shew more at large hereafter Also perfection is sometimes taken for the sincerity of Man or singlenesse of heart in opposition to a double-minded hypocritical man and so is it said of Job that he was perfect and upright that is he was a man of a single heart for if we mark what Job said of himself we shall finde that he was a man that confessed his own infirmities and weaknesse If I justifie my self mine own mouth shall condemn me if I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse Also he saith I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine eye seeth thee wherefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes Surely Job was no Quaker for they say they are perfectly freed from sin and in stead of abhorring themselves they justifie themselves Again you object that the Apostle Paul saith that he preached Wisdome among them that are perfect and let as many as are perfect be thus minded To which I answer that the Apostle speaketh of the perfection of Justification in and through the righteousnesse of Christ and not of inherent perfection For the Apostle in that third Chapter to the Philippians saith of himself Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus By which the Apostle declareth that he was imperfect in regard of his apprehending of Christ for as he saith in another place We all know but in part and believe but in part but we are perfectly apprehended of Christ and he hath already perfectly redeemed us and saved us Wherefore we that believe should be of the Apostles minde to

salvation he hath covered me with the robe of righteousnesse And as this righteousnesse was typified prophesied of and promised in the Old Testament so did Christ accomplish the same for saith Christ It becometh us to fulfill all righteousnesse wherefore the Apostle Paul saith But of him are ye in Christ Jesus not in your selves who of God is made unto us wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption He is made wisdome for our folly he is made righteousnesse for our unrighteousnesse and sanctification for the corruption of our conception birth and conversation and redemption for our bondage the same Apostle also to the Romans saith But now the righteousnesse of God without the Law is manifested being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets even the righteousnesse of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ The Apostle calleth it the righteousnesse of God because wrought by him that is God to shew the worth virtue and excellency of the same also the Apostle saith For if by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousnesse shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ Therefore as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Minde the Apostle saith as and so that is as by Adams sin or disobedience we were made sinners so by Christs obedience we are made rigteous this is the wedding garment without which we have no acceptance but are abominable and filthy in Gods sight as Christ saith to the Church of Laodicea Thou saist I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and do not you Quakers say the same in effect for they thought they were rich by doing good works and had need of nothing do not you Quakers say you are so perfect by what you do and suffer that you have no need of any teaching or exhortation reproof or admonition But what said Christ to them and take it home to your selves And knowest not that thou art poor and wretched and miserable blinde naked because they were destitute of the true wisdome righteousness of Christ hasted to a wisdome righteousness in themselves But Christ saith I councel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou maist be rich white raiment that thou maist be cloathed and that the shame of thy nakednesse do not appear which is the merits and obedience of Christ to put him on as the Apostle saith this is that righteousnesse that Christ said Except your righteousnesse shall exceed the rigteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdome of Heaven The Pharisees thought themselves the only righteous people in the world as you do for said the Pharisee I thank God I am not as other men nor as this poor Publican for I do many good works like those Hypocrites spoken of by the Prophet Esay Stand farther off for I am holier than thee But they were ignorant of the righteousnesse of Christ as the Jewes were who went about to establish a righteousnesse of their own works for saith the Apostle They being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse and going about to establish their own righteousnesse have not submitted themselves unto the righteousnesse of God Again What shall we say then that the Gentiles which followed not after righteousnesse have attained to righteousnesse even the righteousnesse which is of faith But Israel which followed after the law of rigteousnesse hath not attained to the law of righteousness Wherefore because they sought it not by faith and this the Apostle knew by himself as may appear by his own words Touching the righteousnesse of the Law blamelesse But he was an enemy to this righteousnesse of Christ because he was ignorant of the same and are not you Quakers ignorant of this rigteousnesse Faith for some of your Speakers have said to me when I have spoken the same things among you that here with Hold thy peace and speak no more thy dirty puddle thy stinking stuff and some of you in your printed Pamphlets have written against this Doctrine of Justification by faith But may I not justly return the same unto you hold your peace and speak no more nor write no more your dirty dungy righteousnesse For if the Apostle Paul counted all his righteousnesse to be but dung in comparison of the righteousnesse which is of God by Faith well may I count and call yours so for while you pretend to be the only friends of Christ you are his greatest enemies I Traitors to Christ and his Gospel Traitors to his Church and Children and Traitors to your Bodies and Soules seeming great friends to all these but betraying every one of these with a Judas his kisse because you are enemies to this perfect righteousnesse of Christ by faith by which alone we are justified and saved But you maintain a perfection within you by the Spirit saying that you are freed from all corruption of sin Wherefore having at large proved that all believers are perfect by Justification I shall now prove that all those who are perfectly Justified are not perfectly freed from all sin and corruption in themselves and then I shall answer your objections against both And to make this appear to be true according to the Scriptures I shall first lay down this proposition That all Believers are Justified by the blood and righteousnesse of Christ are sanctified by the Spirit of Christ which Spirit of Christ doth remain and abide in them together with the body of sin which I shall plainly prove to that end know that this body of sin is sometimes in Scripture called Flesh sometimes Concupisence Now you do deny that there is both Flesh and Spirit in one person which is the thing that I undertake to prove by the Scripture Wherefore minde what Christ saith to his Disciples The Spirit is willing but the Flesh is weak The Apostle Paul saith It is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me and after that When I would do good evill is present with me and yet in the next verse I delight in the Law of God after the inward man But saith he I see another Law in my members warring against the Law of my minde Now dare you say the Apostle had not the Spirit of Christ at that time seeing he saith he delighted in the Law of God which none can do that have not the Spirit of God Besides consider what a grosse error and absurdity will follow by denying the same which is this that if Paul had not the Spirit at that time then was not the Spirit the author

forget those things which are behinde and reaching forth unto those things which are before I presse toward the mark for the price of the high Calling of God in Christ Jesus Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded that is as many as are perfect by Justification But you will say that the Apostle was then in his warfare as you say he was when he writ the seventh Chapter to the Romans To which I answer that the Apostle and every Christian are in a warfaring condition so long as they live in this world else why doth the Apostle exhort the Ephesians to take unto them the whole armour of God For we wrestle not with Flesh and Blood but against Principalities against Powers against Spirituall wickednesse in high places And the Apostle writing to Timothy saith He is a good Soldier of Jesus Christ and saith fight the good fight of Faith For every Christian hath three great enemies to fight against so long as they live The Devill the World and the Flesh and I say you are no Christians if you do not finde these enemies to fight against Christ is called the Captain of our Faith I marvel that you Quakers are so proud to think and say you are more perfect than the Apostle Paul but you say that Paul had overcome his corruptions To which I answer that the Apostle saith that he had a thorn in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet him for this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me and he said unto me my Grace is sufficient for thee Now by that thorn in the flesh is understood some corruption or some temptation which he was troubled with and was to war and fight against it so long as he lived for the Lord denyed his Petition to take it away but answered him My Grace is sufficient to support and uphold thee Wherefore know that so long as the Church of God in general or any member in particular have spiritual enemies so long are they in a warfare But the Church and people of God have spiritual enemies so long as they live in this world therefore are in a waring condition so long as they live in this world But you object the Apostle John saith He that commiteth sin is of the Devil I answer by the committing of sin is meant for a man to give himself up wittingly and willingly to sin to love it and delight in it now a Christian may say as the Apostle Paul said I do the evil that I would not so that it is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me Also the Apostle saith He that is born of God sinneth not for his seed remaineth in him To which I answer that as a Christian is regenerate or born of God the regenerate part sineth not but there is in every Christian an unregenerate part which some time as the Apostle saith rebelleth against the Law of my minde or regenerate part and leading me captive unto the Law of sin which is in my members Then I my self though an Apostle in my minde serve the Law of God but in my flesh or unregenerate part the Law of sinne But some of you do farther object and say that Adam in Paradise was perfect and in his Innocency had no sin in him and all that are regenerate and born again are as righteous as Adam was in Innocency To which I answer that every believer is as righteous in and through Christ the second Adam as Adam was in the estate of Innocency and hath a more excellent righteousnesse than Adam had before his Fall for Adams righteousnesse was but that righteousnesse in which he was created the righteousnesse of a man subject to be lost but the righteousnesse which every Christian hath in and by Christ by which alone he is Justified is the righteousnesse of God as the Apostle saith we are made the righteousnesse of God in him for it is the righteousnesse of him who is God Minde in him not in your selves for if our righteousnesse were in our selves then might it be lost as Adams was but that conceit of yours of being as righteous in our selves as Adam was in Paradise you Quakers learned of the Familists and Adamites and as the Adamites did many of them go many times naked to manifest that they are as perfect as Adam was so have many of your Quakers go●e up and down naked to manifest that they are as perfect as Adam was in Innocency who was naked and was not ashamed And some of your company have justified the lawfulnesse of their going naked because Adam and Eve were naked in Paradise and were not ashamed But all this doth proceed from your ignorance of the righteousnesse of Christ by Faith by which alone we are made perfect not in our selves but in Christ according to that saying of the Apostle Not by works of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us that being justified by his Grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life But I say you being ignorant of this righteousnesse of Justification go about to stablish an imaginary righteousnesse in your selves by which you rob Christ of his glory and take the glory due to him unto your selves and I have been the larger in this point that so you may be convinced of this your grosse error for if you erre in this you erre in the foundation and stumble at Christ the Corner-stone who will break you in pieces But if a Man hold the foundation and build upon this foundation gold silver precious stones wood hay stubble If a mans work shall be burnt he shall suffer losse but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire Wherefore I say if you did hold the foundation for your other stuffe of wood hay and stubble I should believe you might be saved yet so as by fire And now I hope I have proved that our Ministers do not preach to maintain people in sin but contrary they Preach that we are justified and made perfect in and by the righteousnesse of Christ alone which righteousnesse apprehended by Faith doth draw the Soul out in love to God in Christ which love of Christ doth constrain them to walk in all works of righteousnesse towards God and love to their brethren and these works are evidences of the truth of their Faith and negatively wheresoever these good works are wanting there is no true saving justifying Faith Now I come to your last ground by which you would prove our Ministers to be false Teachers Your seventh and last ground is because there is no better fruits of or by their Preaching for say you there are many sins in which both Priest and People do live in For answer to which I say that if this be a ground to prove a Minister to be no true