Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	believe_v	faith_n	justification_n	11,818	5	9.2159	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47098	A plain and familiar discourse on justification being the substance of four sermons, preach'd at the morning-lecture, at Pinners-Hall, in Broad street, the third, tenth, seventeenth, and twenty fourth days of September, 1693 / by Elias Keach.	Keach, Elias.	1694 (1694)	Wing K110; ESTC R13909	34,472	38

so Why Faith is an Act of the Creature to believe is an Creature tho' we do it by Grace Inherent yet it is the Creature himself that Believes Faith is called a Work it is Faith that worketh by Love and Love is called a Labour or work of the Creature and so other Graces as they are Acts and improved by the Creature it is the work of the Creature so then if it were so that we were Justified by a Righteousness Inherent then we were Justified by Faith as an Act and so the Active and Passive Obedience or perfect Righteousness of Christ would be Excluded in point of Justification as the matter of it and our own good Works would be put in the room thereof The Quakers say That they are Justified by living up to the Light within why say we then you expect to be Justified by Works Hold you there say they for we cannot do any Works but it is God by his mighty power that worketh in us both to will and to do It is the work of Christ in us it is the work of the Holy Spirit in us this is our Righteousness this Justifies us Now pray take notice it salls out then thus the Spirit as they call it is as a Leader and Guide as an Enlightener and it enlighters the Understanding informs the person of his Duty and by its powerful Operations it inclines the Will Now grant this that therefore the person is willing and desirous to do the things that are good and commendable and this produces good Thoughts and good Words and moral good Actions Now what is this but to say that the Spirit teaches me to think well and so enabling me to speak well and to act well now this is as much as to say the Spirit teaches me to save my self for it is my Heart that thinks my Tongue that speaks and my Actions that spring forth in my Life and Conversation so that which Justifieth the Quakers must be their good Works which we deny Now I say in this case if it were so then we are justified by our own Works for as much as the Exercise of all Grace is our own Work it is we Believe it is we Love it is our Meekness it is our Humility nay it is a work if it be but the exercise of our Thoughts And now to be Justified by this is to be Justified by works but I have formerly told you that to Justifie doth not signifie 1. To make us inherently Righteous by infusing Grace or doing of Works of Righteousness 2. I have told you that we are Justified by the Grace of God through Christ without Respect had to any deserving Cause in us by Grace infused but this before-mentioned hath some Respect to some deserving Cause even our inward Righteousness but in Justification that which we speak of and by which all that are Justified must be Justified for there is no other that will discharge from the wrath of God and this comes thro' Christ without any regard had to any deserving cause in us by any Grace infused into us or by any good Works done by us 3. I told you it is by the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to us namely the Righteousness done or performed by him when on the Earth in our nature that Righteousness is the matter and the form of it is the Imputation of it to us And 4. We hence have proved Works of what nature soever do not justifie us as causes of our being rendered Righteous before God to Justification No then what are good Works good for say some Why Works springing from effectual Faith are Fruits and signs of our Justification and so declare us to be Justified to the sight of Men and to our own Consciences and since I have proved that all works are excluded as done and performed by the Creature insomuch that there is nothing of the Creatures Sincerity nor inward Righteousness no not the least dram of it mixt with that Righteousness that is the matter of our Justification I shall now proceed to the second thing viz. 2. The Formal Cause of our Justification which as I have already told you is the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to us this is the Formal Cause and I shall show what we mean by Imputation or the imputing Righteousness And my Beloved consider to have Righteousness or to be accounted Righteous as it may be taken is one thing and to have a Righteousness imputed or accounted to us is another thing for a Man amongst Men may be reckon'd and judged to be Righteous when there is no cause for such an Imputation for they may mistake and make no right judgment as you know some are counted Wise when they are Fools and some Rich when they are are Poor but this is thro' Mistake and Ignorance of Men so that Men may be reckoned to be that which they are not in Truth Now it is not reckoning a Man to be Righteous that is not Righteous for God doth not account them Righteous who have not a perfect Righteousness for if we have something that may be called a Righteousness yet if it be not a perfect Righteousness it is not agreeable to the nature of God nor the Sanction of his Law which doth require a perfect Righteousness God doth not reckon or repute a Man Righteous by an imperfect Righteousness such a one as is this Inherent Righteousness he doth not repute a Man Righteous for that nor doth he account any Righteous but such as are perfectly Righteous therefore he that is accounted Righteous must have a real and perfect Righteousness of anothers imputed to him as the foundation of that Reckoning or Imputation For God doth not reckon Righteousness to a Man without a just Ground not on an imperfect foundation wherefore the other Sense to reckon one perfectly Righteous who hath none but is ungodly is not the thing that we speak of But to have a perfect Righteousness that is none of our own before it is imputed to us is the thing that we contend for Consider my Beloved that to impute to us that which is not our own before or that which we had no Title to in our selves That Imputation doth denote two things 1. To impute that unto us to which we had no Title in our selves that Imputation doth denote a free Act of Grace and divine Donation so that this is made ours altogether freely paid and given us and this is that Righteousness by which we are Justified It is true a Man cannot think well nor speak well nor act well without a principle of Morality and this must come from God Man is not able in a natural way to move without some natural Life and this comes from God But the Righteousness which is made ours to which we had no Title in our selves nor are not in the least concerned in the working of that Righteousness is altogether of free Donation and the whole Glory of it is ascribed

he not worthy of your Heart and Lives and your all That parted with his Life and his all for you 3. Shall he die for your Sins and will you hugg and love your Sins Shall he bear your Sins And shall he be press'd down to death for your Sins and will you hugg that Knife that did let out the Heart Blood of your Saviour Will you make much of those things that are the Enemies of your Lord Jesus Christ Pray consider this A Plain and Familiar DISCOURSE ON Justification c. SERMON IV. ROM 3. xxiv Being justified freely by his Grace thro' the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ DOctrin That Justification is wholly of the free Grace of God through or by the Imputation of what Christ hath done for us or his perfect Righteousness I shall now speak of the Material and Formal Causes of our Justification Matter and Form I told you most not be divided And my Beloved the matter or that which Justifies us according to the word of God is the Righteousness of Christ Ques But some may Query What Righteousness is this that you say is the Righteousness of Christ Is it the Righteousness of Christ as he is God Ans To which I answer no it is not the Righteousness of Christ as he is God 1. Because that is the Essential Righteousness of the God-head and if we were Justified by that we should also be deified 2. It is not the Righteousness of Christ as he is God because the essential Righteousness of God being his Essence cannot be communicated to any Creature 3. If it were by the Righteousness of the God-head then it would follow that it is the Righteousness of the whole Trinity and then it may be as well said that we are Justified by the Righteousness of the Father and by the Righteousness of the Holy Ghost as by the Righteousness of the Son But 2. It is therefore positively the Righteousness of Christ as Mediator namely as he is God-Man the Righteousness he performed for us in the days of his Flesh while he lived for us upon the Earth this is by St. Paul call'd the Righteousness of God Rom. 10.3 For they being ignorant of the Righteousness of God went about to establish their own Righteousness c. I will give you the Reasons why it is called the Righteousness of God And 1. Because this Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ which is his Active and Passive Obedience which he acted and suffered for us in our room and stead I say this Righteousness is called the Righteousness of God because it was a Righteousness found out by the infinite Wisdom of God and that to this very end and purpose that we might be Justified and defended from divine Wrath and the Curse of the Law to which we had made our selves liable by our Sins It was I say a Righteousness found out by the Infinite and all-wise God for us after we had lost our original Righteousness 2. Because it is the Righteousness of him that was truly God so well as Man He being in the form of God thought it no Robbery to be equal with God and therefore saith he I and the Father are one 3. Because it is not the Righteousness of a meer Creature the Lord Jesus was God as well as Man and therefore his Righteousness is not the Righteousness of a meer Creature but the Righteousness of God-man therefore it is called the Righteousness of God that it may be distinguished from the Righteousness of a Creature and because it is not our own Inherent Righteousness I say therefore it is call'd the Righteousness of God because it is to be found only in God man but to us it is Imputed and not Inherent it is not our Righteousness which are meer Creatures therefore it is called the Righteousness of God Rom. 10.3 For they being Ignorant of the Righteousness of God and going about to establish their own Righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the Righteousness of God Why what doth he mean by the Righteousness of God You 'll see in the next words ver 4. For Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth therefore God's Righteousness here is that that was fulfill'd by Christ while he was upon the Earth How so Why because Christ did perfectly and compleatly keep the Law maintain its Sanction and Holiness how do you prove that may some say Why it appears by the very next verse v. 5. For Moses describeth the Righteousness which is of the Law that the Man which doth these things shall live by them Now this is equivolent to the forgoing verse Christ Jesus he is the end of the Law for Righteousness because he did do those things perfectly and compleatly did he keep the Law and so brought in a Righteousness by his Obedience for our Use and Advantage 4. It is called the Righteousness of God because it is a Righteousness approved and accepted as well as appointed by the holy God God the Father hath accepted this Righteousness he is fully satisfied with it he is well pleased with his Son Jesus Christ i.e. in his Obedience and Conformity to his Will therefore it is called the Righteousness of God because it is a Righteousness that pleaseth God and that God accepteth of for the Good of us and in the Behalf of us But further to prove the third thing viz. That the material Cause of our Justification is that Righteousness by which Christ did fully and compleatly answer the demands of Justice to every Jot that it is this Righteousness and not Inherent Righteousness How do you prove that say some That it is not Inherent Righteousness Why if we are Justified by Inherent Righteousness then it would follow 1. That the Formal Cause of our Justification is by infusing a Righteousness and not by Imputation it would follow then that a Righteousness implanted in us and not imputed to us is the Cause of our Justification 2. It would then follow that if we were Justified by Grace Inherent it would be by a Complication of Graces and not by Faith only which would antiquate that Text Rom. 4.5 But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that Justifieth the ungodly his Faith is counted for Righteousness But this would be I say not only Faith but the Grace of Love and the Grace of Humility and the Grace of Long Suffering the Grace of Meekness and Temperance together with the Grace of Faith 3. If it were by a Righteousness Inherent in us then it would follow that Faith would not be Imputed or accounted to us for Righteousness in respect of the object Jesus Christ but Faith would be accounted to us for Righteousness as a holy Act or divine Grace in us together with other Graces 4. If it were by a Righteousness Inherent then also it would follow that Works may as well be said to be our actual Righteousness to Justification as Inherent Grace How