Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	ceremonial_a	law_n	moral_a	5,536	5	9.9611	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76078	The Church of England a true church: proved in a disputation held by John Bastwick Doctor in Physick, against Mr. Walter Montague in the Tower. Published by authority.	Bastwick, John, 1593-1654.	1645 (1645)	Wing B1058; Thomason E297_18; ESTC R200205	156,945	174

body and the induring of the dolours pangs and sorrowes of the second death in respect of his soule the first of which doth consist in his perfect fulfilling of the law for us The truth of which doth evidently appeare For after the fall of our first parents all man-kind stood bound in a double debt we had violated and broken the law and therefore were all tyed and bound first to make satisfaction for that Secondly as we are creatures we were still bound to keepe and fulfill the whole Law even to the rigour of it and to doe whatsoever that commanded of the which double debt when we were not able to pay the least portion being now become bankrupts of that primordiall and originall righteousnesse and wholly corrupted we must necessarily have recourse and flie to our surety and mediator who hath discharged both those debts for us The first he payd for us being dead in our sinnes and trespasses when he was made a curse for us and so redeemed us from the curse and malediction of the law though not from the obedience of it Gal. 3. ver 13. Rom. 3. ver 24 25. and in 2 Cor. 5. ver 21. The last he performed by his perfect obedience to the whole law so that in Jesus Christ we fulfill the law The second thing to be here considered for the better understanding of this businesse of so great concernment is seeing that the obedience of Jesus Christ is the matter of our justification and that is without us and none of ours how that comes to be made ours which being once declared the truth then will be perspicuous That the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ therefore may be made ours it must first be given to us of God Secondly we must receive and imbrace this righteousnesse Now God gives us this righteousnesse when he gives Christ unto us for with Christ this righteousnesse is bestowed upon us and it is then made ours when God out of his infinite mercy accounts it and judgeth it ours and it is made ours onely by imputation as it is evident and manifest by these reasons First as Christ was made sinne for us so we are made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5. ver 21. and in 1 Cor. 1. v. 30. Now Christ was made sinne for us onely by imputation therefore the inherent righteousnesse of Jesus Christ is made ours onely by imputation Secondly as the disobedience of Adam was made ours so the obedience of Christ the second Adam is made ours as it is largely discoursed by the Apostle Rom. 5. ver 17.18 but the offence and disobedience of Adam was made ours by imputation therefore after the same manner Christs obedience is made ours Secondly that Christs obedience may be made ours we must receive it and apply it to our selves and put it on which is onely done by faith the hand of the soule for the receiving of those things which are given us of God Whereby the way Mr. Montague I desire you to take notice that a sinner is not justified for the dignity of faith but as it is an instrument by which the obedience of Christ is applied to the soule And now I come to the third thing viz. What works and deeds are excluded from justification And for answer I affirme all the works of the ceremoniall and morall law and all the workes of nature and grace which is thus proved Rom. 3. ver 20. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sinne Here all deeds of the law both ceremoniall and morall are excluded from justification and that by an excellent and unanswerable argument of the Apostle That which discovers the knowledge of sinne and accuses us for it that cannot justifie us before God And for farther proofe of it in the 28 verse the place I first cited is plain Therfore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works or deeds of the law And Gal. 2. ver 15 16. We who are Jewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles knowing that a man is not justified by the workes of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the workes of the law for by the workes of the law shall no flesh be justified Here by the workes of the law we cannot understand the workes that men doe in the state of nature and corruption and before regeneration seeing the Apostle writes unto the Church of the Galatians that had received the Gospell of Jesus Christ and were believers the Apostle also includes him himselfe amongst them saying We also c. and in the 21. verse I doe not saith he frustrate the grace of God for if righteousnesse came by the Law then Christ is dead in vaine So that if men can be justified by the Law it followeth that they have no need of salvation by Jesus Christ but they have need of Jesus Christ therefore all the workes of the Law are excluded from justification even in the regenerate But for more full proof chap. 3. ver 10. For as many as are under the workes of the Law are under the curse for it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to doe them Deut. 27.26 Here by the Law is understood the whole Law of God for it comprehends all that is written in the booke of the Law as in expresse words the Apostle shewes but principally the morall Law as is evident by that passage cited by the Apostle out of the Law so that it is cleere and apparent that all those that pretend or presume to be justified by the workes of the Law are under this fearefull malediction and curse and in the 11. verse by an invincible reason he confirmeth the former truth in these words But that no man is justified by the Law in the sight of God is evident for the just shall live by faith Hab. 2. Rom. 1. The argument of the Apostle is this That by which we have life justifies us before God but by faith we have life ergo by faith alone we are justified before God And in the 12. verse And the Law saith the Apostle is not of faith but the man that doth them shall live in them Here it doth appeare there are two waies of attaining eternall life or two waies of justification the one by the exact accomplishing keeping and fulfilling of the whole Law which no mortall man hath yet ever done Christ excepted the other by faith imbracing the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ Who was delivered for our offences and raised up for our justification Rom. 4. ver 25. and in the 13. verse Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us c. and in chap. 5. ver 4.

Christ is become of no effect unto you saith Paul whosoever of you are justified by the Law yee are falne from grace All those therefore that will be justified by the works of the Law deprive themselves of the grace of God in Jesus Christ but the Church of Rome doth this Mr. Montague ergo But for the Church of England it followeth the Apostles example Phil. 3. ver 8 9. Counting all things losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and that it may be found in him not having its owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith By the which righteousnesse of Christ all the workes of the Law are excluded from justification But I will yet more fully prove that the workes of grace are also excluded from justification Ephes 2. ver 8 9. For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Not of workes lest any man should boast Here againe all workes are removed withall we may observe that the holy Apostle in this place a firming that we are not saved by workes speakes not of those workes before grace and regeneration according to the ordinary evasion of the Church of Rome but he speakes of all the workes men doe in the state of grace and after conversion and which shall accompany us as we presse to the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus as we may see in the 10. verse For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walke in them So that good workes are not the meritorious cause of the Kingdome of Heaven but onely the way which God hath prepared and appointed for us to walke in to Heaven And in the 11. to the Rom. ver 6 7. he saith And if by grace then it is no more of workes otherwise grace is no more grace He speakes here of the regenerate Romans and of the workes dond by them after their conversion which he excludes from justification and therefore it is a poore evasion or quillet of the Church of Rome to excuse their pride when they say that God hath given us the grace of meriting which is a flat contradiction for grace doth ever exclude merit as the words of Paul inferre who saith If it be by grace then not of workes and if of workes then it is no more grace otherwise worke is no more worke And in his Epistle to Titus ch 3. ver 4 5. But after saith he that the kindnesse and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared not by workes of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us Here the Apostle includes himselfe in the number of the regenerate as in all the other places and disavowes all workes and excludes them from justification for the mercy and grace of God cannot stand with mens merits as hath been sufficiently already proved And in that verse he further addes that being justified by grace we should be made heires according to the hope of eternall life From which words we learne that we have life eternall as heires of God and not in the way quality of mercenaries So that by all these proofes it is evident that all workes are excluded from justification as by many reasons also may be evinced For sinners are and ought so to be justified before God that all occasion of gloriation and boasting may be taken away as we see Rom. 3. ver 27. Where is boasting then it is taken away By what Law of workes Nay but by the law of faith Now if a man by the workes of grace might be justified he should then have something whereof to glory notwithstanding he acknowledged he received those workes from God as we may see in the example of the Pharisee in the 18. of Luke and should also have more to glory of than Abraham Rom. 4. ver 3 4. where it is said that if Abraham be justified by workes he hath whereof to glory but not before God For what saith the Scripture Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse Againe if a man be justified by workes then the justification of the Law should stand and be of force but that stands not as by all the testimonies before mentioned is evident and from the 14. verse of this chapter For if they which are of the Law be heires faith is made void and the promise made of no effect And not onely this verse but the tenour of the whole chapter proves that Abraham though he abounded in good workes yet was justified before God without the workes of the Law howsoever before men according to that of St. James chap. 2. He declared by his workes the livelinesse of his faith for St. James himselfe saith vers 23. That Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousnesse and he was called the friend of God And that was long before he offered his Sonne Isaac And when the Apostle Paul saith that Abraham was not justified before God by his works it cannot be understood of the works of the ceremoniall Law which was not given till foure hundred yeares after the justification of Abraham But the principall things we may gather out of this whole fourth chapter to the Romans are these First that the workes of grace and after regeneration are excluded from justificaton Secondly that the justification of Abraham the father of the faithfull is the modell and patterne of the justification of all believers and sonnes of Abraham as appeares from the 22. and 23. verses And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnesse Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him who raised up Jesus from the dead And therefore as Abraham was justified before God by faith without the workes of the law so all believers are justified which the Apostle in his Epistle to the Galatians chap. 3. ver 8. doth againe clearely prove And the Scripture saith he foreseeing that God would justifie the heathen through faith preached before the Gospell unto Abraham saying In thee shall all Nations be blessed so that they which be of faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham And from this very place it is manifest that Abraham then believed when the Apostle affirmes that he was not justified before God by his workes to confirme unto us likewise that we are not justified before God by our workes after that God hath given unto us faith Yea Paul evidences the same by his owne example and by the example of the faithfull that the works of grace also are excluded from justification for in 1 Cor. chap. 4. ver 4. I know nothing saith the Apostle by my selfe yet am I not hereby justified Here