Selected quad for the lemma: work_n
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A27593
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A conciliatoy [sic] judgment concerning Dr. Crisp's sermons and Mr. Baxter's dissatisfactions in them by T. Beverley.
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Beverley, Thomas.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing B2135; ESTC R23688
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8,458
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13
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that there might be a Vindication of of the Holiness and Purity of the Salvation of Christ before Natural Conscience and against the Enemies of Grace Further so many Scriptures pressing to Holiness are Barriers that prophane and unholy Men who Hate to be Reform'd and Hypocrites may not presume upon an Interest in Christ and his Righteousness till they Find their Hearts chang'd But especially Scripture is so large in all these Methods of perswading Men to Holiness because They are serviceable to that Oeconomy of Grace that moves and acts upon the Intellectual Spirit of Man Rationally while it Supremely moves and Subordinates it thereby to its own operations And Secondarily These Abundant discourses of Holiness shew to Man his own Unrighteousness by his so Great Falls Failings and Imperfections even under the Covenant of Grace That Boasting in Regard of Sanctification under that Grace may be excluded and we may make mention of the Righteousness of the Lord and Glory in that Alone But then that so little Comparatively is spoken of the Righteousness of Christ Though very much and very Great is spoken of it is because All divine is simple clear One spoken of as it were at once and as the Being and Attributes of God though often spoken of need not many words at a time but are to be especially Meditated upon Even so though upon occasion the Righteousness of Christ requires larger Discourses as Rom. c. 3. c. 4. c. 5. Gal. c. 2. c. 3. c. 4. Ephes c. 1. c. 2. Philip. c. 3. Yet it is rather continually spoken of as our only Foundation and Hope and always imply'd This Righteousness then being Infinite Therefore Justification by it is Attributed to Faith without works because an Infinite Righteousness can be only Receiv'd and not Aided by our works it can only be believ'd in not help'd out by any thing in us If it be said the Apostle James seems to have decided the Point much otherwise by Asserting Faith does not nor can Justifie or save without Works And if so then it must follow Not the Righteousness of Christ only but Works of Sanctification under that are our Righteousness also and Conditions of our Justification as our Acts and Works And so this notion of the Righteousness of Christ being Infinite and giving Room to no other Righteousnes cannot Hold. To that I Answer To any Attent Considerer of that Apostles discourse It will be found He does not discourse of Faith and Works as Two distinct compleat things but as Two parts of one and the same Thing compleat viz. A compleat Faith As if we discourse of the Body and Spirit of a Man It is not a discouse of Two compleat Beings but of that one compleat Being Man compounded of Body and of Spirit Of this we may find Great proof in many Expressions and in the last verse the Key of All As the Body without the Spirit is dead so Faith without Works is dead also James 2. last Now in Faith there is the outward Profession or as we call it Confession of Faith which the Apostle Intimates in those words Thou believest There is one God with which Article Confessions of Faith generally begin and this Confession tho' the Body of Faith only the Apostle calls Faith as we Vulgarly speaking call the Body oftnest the Man But then there is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostle Paul calls it the Work of Faith with Power 2 Thes 1.11 or as the Apostle James speaks the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the works viz. of Faith With which Faith Those Works of Faith are to be close connected and understood only of Faiths own Works And the difference between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Work in the Apostle Paul and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Works in the Apostle James makes no more difference then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Works and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Work in the Apostle Paul himself Rom. 11.6 in another case Now this Work of Faith with Power is such that when the whole Result shall be seen in the High Operation of True Faith in relation to Justification Sanctification and Glorification It will be seen to the Admirable Glory of God in Christ in his Saints and of their Glory in Him for the Holiness Wisdom and yet infinite Grace of all to the Admiration of All Angels and Saints and Confusion of Devils and wicked Men as v. 10. and 12. compar'd make out Now these Two the Confession of Faith and the Work of Faith are as I may call it Hypostatically or as it were Personally united Confession the Body Work and Power or Works the Spirit And when they are thus united The Confession Works with that Operation of Faith or Vis Effectrix that Spirit of Faith as the Body works with the Mind or the instrument with the Work-man and thereby the Confession of Faith is perfected into a compleat Faith by being thus united with the Works of Faith Now to shew This was the Apostles meaning He does not instance in the Works of a Holy Regular Conversation according to the Moral Law but in Two Solitary Single Eminent and Extraordinary Acts of Abraham and Rahab and such as the general Face of the Moral Law would rather Condemn then Justifie upon But as the First and Specific Act of Justifying Faith is Apprehending the Righteousness of Christ for whieh it is first Apprehended of Christ and so Justifies by this Righteousness of Christ Apprehended by this Operation From which Operation of Apprehending Christ if the Confession be divided it cannot Justifie because it misses the Righteousness of Christ. Even so the Apostle Instances in Acts of Abraham and Rahab's Faith that were nearly Related to Christ and as it were a Mirrour of Christ Apprehended viz. Abraham's offering Isaac so Great a Type of the Sacrifice of Christ and Rahab's Receiving the People of the Promised Messiah under whom she desir'd shelter from the common Wrath coming on her Own People So that Thread of Typical Scarlet Purifying Sin was given her as a Type of the Blood of Christ. Now the occasion of all this discourse Appears to be to make good that the True Faith of the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory that hath that First work of Seeing and Receiving Him so essential to it hath such a sight of him and of his Glory that it puts Glory on the meanest Christians so that Christ in them is highly Precious though without the Worlds Trappings of Glory because of Christ in them whieh Faith seeing Christ hath always in its Eye c. 2. v. 1. c. But if any One think this Explication too narrow though I am much perswaded deep Consideration will be satisfied and the rather because the Trembling of the Devils Confessionary Faith of God that hath no operation into the Mediator is oppos'd to the Rest a Justifying Faith in Christ gives Yet if any One think it too narrow He may enlarge it by considering that from the