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A45121 Animadversions, being the two last books of my reverend brother Mr. Williams the one entituled A postscript to Gospel-truth, the other An end of discord : conscientiously examined, in order to a free entertainment of the truth, in some momentous points in divinity, controverted among the nonconformist brethen, occasionally here determined, for the sake of those honest among us that seek it, without trick or partiality / by John Humfrey ... Humfrey, John, 1621-1719. 1699 (1699) Wing H3666; ESTC R16328 37,926 42

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very distinguishable Having laid down what precedes I do as it were give instance in this Citation unto the which I do the more deliberately answer The Impetration of our Justification by Christs performing the Mediatory Law is indeed one thing and the Application of it by our performing the Law of the Gospel is another But Justification it self is one Omneens est unum and not two things or acts and consequently ought to be defined and understood as one act so that when in one place it is said we are justified by Christs Blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through his Blood and in others we are justified by Faith this makes yet but one act one Justification described in one place by the meritorious in the others by the formal cause thereof which both are to be put together in the Definition I must confess Mr. Baxter as I remember does ordinarily speak at your rate as if we were to be justified both by Law and Gospel and furthermore does not scruple to make as many Particular Justifications as there can be Charges laid against us but with the assertion that there is also a Justification Universal and which I apprehend the Gospel alone does yield us Indeed how to reconcile Mr. Baxter herein to his own Doctrine I must confess I have not yet observed from him but crave your help to find out In the mean time I must warn you that you understand him not after the manner you write for if indeed there are two Barrs at which we must be justified as well as two Righteousnesses that goes into our Justification If to be justified by Faith is one Justification and to be justified by Christs Blood be another so that the Believer must have both as one subordinate to the other unto which apprehension your way of expression leads then must Christs Righteousness be indeed ours in se and not only in the Effects as you appear to maintain against me and him for at one of these Barrs nothing less will serve and then must we return all three to the Road of the common Protestant Doctrine and grant that it is not by our own Works whether Legal or Evangelical no not by Faith as a Work not by Faith as productive of Repentance and New Obedience that is not by St. James's Faith and Works also but by Faith only and by Faith taken objective for Christs Righteousness made ours by Faith so as to be our Formal Righteousness or formally to justifie us And if so there may be an end of Controversies with Mr. Baxters Books as one of them is called which concern Justification his Practical Books may still be in credit but his Controversal Works may be all burnt for you who for maintaining one expression not well advised must forsake him and your self and all almost of weight that you have writ besides There is a Distinction therefore which that accurate Man Mr. Baxter who otherwise has so many does yet want as to this Point of Justification which is that Justification may be taken Strictly or Largely seeing the Scripture so speaks of it If we will take it strictly we consider only what respects the form and definition and Justification so taken is Gods constituting by his Law of Grace and accounting a Man righteous upon his believing for Christs sake or imputing his Faith for Righteousness When Justification largely taken may comprehend its Antecedents as Redemption and Consequents as Pardon and Life together with it See my Righteousness of God p. 55 56 57. In such a large sense of it Mr. Baxter and our Divines may take liberty to speak of it in such a manner as they or others do or as they please but there are these words in that Learned Gentleman Sir Charles Wolsley his Letter to me that are more accurate to my purpose than any that I most like in Mr. Baxter The Scripture says he that were written not with any relation to those nice and subtle Distinctions which Men have since used in interpreting them do chiefly intend to express their plain and genuine meaning of things and in an especial manner by various expressions of the same thing does set forth the amplitude of Gospel Salvation Justification is spoken of in Scripture sometimes in its Cause which is imputing Righteousness by Faith and sometimes in its Effect which is Pardon Therefore I am well pleased to say with you to adjust and comprehend that matter right that the formalis ratio of Justification is Gospel Faith and Obedience that is as imputed to us of God for Righteousness and taking Justification passively meaning as I and Pardon of sin as the necessary consequeent concomitant and effect of it He that will give any other account of it must I believe make use of some other Doctor than St. Paul One thing more I will note in this Postscript and have done and that is the particular p. 312. wherein you say you were ready to subscribe with Mr. Cole You look to your self indeed by such words that you may not lye but do you think your meaning and Mr. Coles can indeed stand in one Stable I will therefore express the truth of this sixth Particular for you with little alteration When a Man believes that very Faith and sincere Gospel Works which proceed from it is you say is not the matter of that Righteousness whereby you to save your Not before put in for which a sinner is justified and so intitled to Pardon and Glory Yet is the Righteousness of Christ alone that for which the Gospel gives the Believer a right to these and all saving blessings who in this respect is justified through Christ or through his Righteousness though by Faith Faith being indeed the Matter or Material Cause and Gods Imputing that Faith not Christs Righteousness to us for Righteousness the Form and Formal Cause of our Justification Reverend Brother What will be the issue of this present endeavour according to my small Ability I know not But I will end with this Story Luther one day being with Melancton Phillip says he I am afraid we are gone too far in that matter of the Sacrament Master says Melancton then let us amend and retract it No says Luther if we do so Phillip we shall be believed in nothing Alas what pity it was and what prejudice to the Protestants Cause that Luther had not hearkned to Melancton It must be no wonder therefore if you hearken not to me now in my farewell Admonition which is to chuse in this small matter of Difference between us not to follow Luther but St. Augustine who is so much commended by all for his Book of Retractations Your very respectful Brother JOHN HUMFREY Animadversions ON HIS End of Discord Learned and Worthy Sir I Wrote a Sheet or two in a Letter to Mr. Williams upon his Postscript to Gospel Truth before this later Book called An End of Discord came out I had no Answer to it nor my Copy
have Christ engaged for the Elects performance if these I say should have framed this Notion of one Sentence and two Rules of Judgment it might have appeared something agreeable But for Mr. Ws. who distinguishes these Covenants or Laws and yet puts them together and connexes both into the Rule of Judgment it is something monstrous espcially seeing he hath kept such a stir about and laid such a stress upon the Distinction not considering as I am now to tell that when he and others do speak of this Covenant of Redemption expressing a transacttion between God and Christ as passed between them in God's requiring of Christ that he shall make his Soul an offering for sin and promising him to have a seed and that upon their believing they should be saved Let them use as many or few Words as they will the whole Frame of this Covenanting is made out of the fifty third of Esay which is a Prophecy of Christ to come telling what he should be and what he should do as if it had been already done Now when this is but a Prophecy so that there is nothing of it but yet in the Decree and Determination of God and Mr. Ws. speaks of this Covenant as if these Matters were all transacted before and apart from the Covenant of the Gospel when the transaction I say is but prophecy'd of and was to be accomplished by Christ when come and so these matters all to be fulfill'd for then the Messiah came and was such a one and did according as the Prophecy tells making his Soul an offering for the satisfaction of God's Justice and procuring an Act of Grace Law or Covenant that those who should become Christ's Seed by believing should be pardoned and Saved which is really the same thing altogether and no other but what was in the Prophecy For Mr. Ws. Now I say who seems to have had more considerate Thoughts about this Distinction than our former Divines and does indeed still speak so risentively hereof in his Books as if there could be no sound Divinity about those two great Points of Satisfaction and Justification without the compleat understanding and application of it and does yet further herein lean so much to his own understanding as he does which leaning is such a position of the Thoughts that if the thing leaned upon does fail his notion must be all thrown down I say for him to make two Matters of that which is but one seeing that which was in the Prophecy and that which is in the Fulfilling of it must be the same and intended for the same It gives me just cause for some Reprimand and Admonition to him to consider over and over all such Expressions as he has p. 133. where he is apprehensive that the want of the consideration of this Distinction is the cause of all our Disputes when I am afraid that a distinguishing ubi Lex non distinguit and Mr. Ws. leaning here so much upon this Distinction which I suppose has been coined but of late by same of our own Divines English or Scotch and scarce to be found one Century ago and perhaps not come in play till after the Assemblies Catechisms has given occasion of so much roving Fancy and thereby more Confusion to himself and may do through him if it be not prevented to others than ever had like to have been in those great Points without it I have set my self thus to give him the deeper advertisement hereof because I see not by any thing or by all the things which in this seeming notion of his he is still farther devising that the thing is proved for which it is devised The thing he should shew or prove is an Imputation in se but how does his confounding and confounded devise prove this Where hath he laid all his Conceptions together or any of them alone so clear as may be an Argument or Medium of Probation not to put him to Syllogisms as will evince his Conclusion When this is wanting his whole Notion is impertinent and all his Contrivings abortive And when any Man writes a Book and this is wanting so that the Id quod probandum erat is not proved that Author let him have otherwise many good Truths in it does herein need Hallebore rather than an Answer P. 120. He finds nothing he tells us plainer than that on one hand we are made righteous by Christ's Obedience and on the other that we are justified by Faith citing Scriptures on both sides This now without setting the Scriptures on two sides is to be consider'd for the Gospel doth hold forth a double Righteousness the Righteousness of Christ and the Righteousness of Faith that do both go to our Justification Being justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus In another place It is of Faith says the Apostle that it may be of Grace so that our Justification by Faith is through Christs Redemption which is all one as through his Satisfaction and Merit or through his Righteousness imputed according to the Gospel as the Law or Rule of Judgment Here now I must ask Mr. Ws. seeing there are two Righteousnesses and each a justifying Righteousness as he speaks in his Books whether there be also two Justifications Of this I perceive he is discerningly aware and says he hopes that none will think he holds so for indeed if there were two Justifications by these two Righteousnesses then the one must be a Legal and the other an Evangelical Justification and if a Legal one there must be a perfect Righteousness to answer the Law and then Christ's Righteousness must be imputed in se so as to be legally our formal Righteousness which must make Mr. Baxter and I and Mr. Ws. to retract our Books and the currant Doctrine of the common Protestant run on But seeing he does deny two Justifications you may ask what then does he mean by his two Laws the Creator's Law and the Redeemer's Law Why I had thought when I read his Postscript this had inferr'd two Justications but now he explains himself by fancying only two Rules of Judgments and those not the Law of Works and Grace as others would but the Law of Mediation though that can not belong to us as is said before and the Law of the Gospel when yet there is but one Sentence according to him and so which is well one Justification An admirable Invention this which I apprehend but thought not on till since his Postscript but how does he prove it The Scriptures mentioned prove it not but I think the contrary Nay and that he is more concern'd to Answer I ask what does this prove If the Mediatorial Law were the Rule of Judgment how would that make Christ's Righteousness be imputed so as to become ours in se or any otherwise than the Gospel makes it Let this be shown let me see how his imputation in se arises from it and from the one more than