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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	covenant_n	grace_n	justification_n	7,486	5	9.7652	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47156	The light of truth triumphing over darkness and ignorance, error and envy manifested in Robert Gordoun's late pretended testimony to the true Saviour : wherein every one whose eye is open may see his seat, and who have salt in themselves may favour his words, work and spirit and discern his deceitful dealing by smitting the innocent in secret, yet not with that subtilty which is able to cover in this day wherein light is manifesting the works of darkness : so, the Devil was here deficient but envy slays the foolish man : given forth in the 2 moneth 1670 / by George Keith, & G. White-head.	Keith, George, 1639?-1716.; Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.; Gordon, Robert, fl. 1669-1675. Testimony to the true Saviour.	1670 (1670)	Wing K179; ESTC R2048	34,830	44

one without 〈◊〉 of the Virgi● Mary and another within formed within but it is one and the same Lord Iesus Christ who in the fulness of time took upon him the form of ● servant and was found in the true form of a Man born of the Virgin Mary who was also in the beginning with God and was the Gift of the Fathers love unto man from the begi●ning to be in them and unto them Light and Life to enlighten ●nd quicken them unto God But now let us a little weigh the weight of those arguments which thou 〈◊〉 against th●s Doctrine of the Light within being the Saviour and saving them who become joined a●d obedient thereunto First thou s●ys this Doctrine is of no less consequence then to establish agai● the Covenant of wor●● which speaketh thus do this and live thereby making void the Righteousness which is of Faith in Christ which speaketh on this wise believe and thou shalt be saved To which I say nay this Doctrine doth not est●blish the Covenant of the works of the Law mentioned by the Apostle by which no flesh can be justified no● doth it make void the Righteousness which is of Faith Chri●t for the Righteousness which is of Faith in Christ doth well consist 〈◊〉 stand with obedience to Christ the seed and with works which are wrought in the vertue and strength of him the seed formed within raised within living ●ithin ye● their consistence is so necessary that they cannot be divided for ●aith without works i● dead but thou art ignorant of the Nature of the New Covenant or Righteousness of faith as if it excluded works and doing and as if doing were prop●● only to the Old or first Covenant in order to justification which is false for both th● first and the second Covenant require●h doing and works but after a different manner the first Covenant putt●th man upon doing without giving unto him that grace and life which ●s sufficient to make his works acceptable unto God perfectly and ●hroughly which i● o●ly ●dministred in the incorr●ptible seed of ●ife in its arisings and springings up in the heart and so the first Covenant or Law comes before the seed be raised or brought forth and requires man to do such things in th● state ●ut man can giv● no prefect obedience to this law for it onely condemns him and g●ves him the knowledge of sin but gives him no spiritual life for the life is in the ne● Covenant and springeth up in the seed thereof and so the first Covenant or Law is called in Scripture the Carnal Commandment and it● seed and birth is Carnal o● accor●ing to the flesh which cannot give unto man to perform perfect obedience unto God for the Law makes nothi●g perfect but the bringing in of a better hope which is the power of an endless l●fe in the incorruptible immortal spiritual and heavenly seed not onely requireth p●rfection and perfect obedience but bringeth to it and giveth power to answer and perform it for the new Covena●t ●ath a se●d and birth that is not carnal and weak but spiritual and powerful and requireth obedience and works of and from men in this even in the virtue power and life of this spiritual seed and of this Ishmael and Isa●ck Esa● and Jacob were figures as the Apostle declares in the Epistles to the Galla●ians and Romans Ishmael and Esau sig●ifie the chi●dren of the ●lesh or fleshl● seed who are the child●en of the old or first Covenant who cannot attain unto the blessing of full and perfect justification and acceptance with God through all they can do but the ●lection attaineth it the elect seed and the children thereof who are born not of the flesh but of the ●pirit not of a fleshly seed but a sp●rit●●l not of the first Adam but of the second who are the children of Abraham according to the spirit of whom Is●●ck and Jacob were figures and though the new Covenant requireth faith or beli●ving yet it requireth not onely faith but works also in order to a full and perfect justification with God for Abraham was justified by works and not by ●aith only so Rachab so Phir●ha● and the Apostle saith R●m 8. 13. If ye thro●gh the spirit do mortif●e the the deeds of th● body yee shall liv● so th● new Covenant requireth both ●aith and works too believing and doing but believing is the first thing it requireth men not simply to do without respect to ●aith in Christ the seed but requireth each in their order as ●hat men should believe and do for its faith which draw● life from Christ and expresseth it in works which render them living and acc●ptable unto God otherwise they are dead so people must first believe and then to their faith they must adde vir●ue c. and this believi●g is a winni●g of the very heart and soul of man unto the Light and ●pirit and power of Christ within manifest in the ●eed through which strength is rece●ved to give perfect obedience to God Moreover that the new Covenant requireth doing is plain from D●ut 30. 14. But the word is very near unto thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart for to do it which word the Apo●tle Paul expounds to be the wo●d of Faith and ●ighteousnes● of Faith Rom. 10. 8 which ●e preached and that was the new Covenant I have been the more large in ope●i●g this matter because it will give occasion unto me to return a clear and full answer in very few words to all thy other ca●nal and unlearned objections and reasonings against the Truth in this particular as in that thou brings for a second Argument that Paul said b● the works of the L●w 〈…〉 c. And here thou adds by way of exposi●ion that is by our obedience to the Law either written in Tables of stone or to the Law or Light in the Conscience but this exposition has ●o ground from Scripture and it s but a figment of thy own invention of darkness for its clear by the works of the Law Paul understands the law of the first Covenant as the Jews imitation of the Letter are outward●y administred before the spiritual seed of Lif● be raised which hath in it the Law of the Spirit of Lif● in Christ Jesus for the justification is in the seed and these works only are j●stified which are done in the Life and vertue thereof nor is thy third objection of any more weight as wh●re the Apostle saith Had there been a Law given wh●ch co●ld hav● given life ve●ily right●ousn●ss should have been by the Law for it is manifest he understands the Law of the first Covenant which was the ministration of death and no● of Life but the Law of Christ or the Law of the spirit of Life in Christ Jesus giveth life and so justification is by this Law and yet fai●h is not made void nor the promise made of none effect 〈◊〉 the reward reckoned not of Grace

but of debt for this law is of Grace and of promise and the whole obedience giv●n to it is all of the free Grace of God in Christ Jesus and the same answer may serve to that other Scripture cited by thee ● man is ju●●●fied by ●aith without the deeds of the law and to him that worketh not c. Which excludes the deeds and works of the law of the first Covenant or the works of any law from justification which is not given forth and administred in the E●ect noble and royal and ●●mortal and incorruptible ●eed of life for before this seed be raised all are under transgre●●ion 〈…〉 further says Th●t the Apo●●le concludes them ign●rant of and not submi●●i●g to the r●ght●ousness of God who go about to establish th●ir own righteousn●ss by the works of the Law so say we also but the r●ghteousness which is in the elect seed and the works thereof are not that self righteousness but the righ●●ousness of God and is our righteousness as Christ is ours ev●n by the free grace gift of the Fat●er So having thus cut the 〈…〉 seeming strength thy carnal objections may have with weak people I shall not ne●d further to answer particularly thy other words hereab●ut seeing they contain no force of Arguments but are only thy bare assertions and positions which wanting a sufficient foundation fall of themselves Thou further alleadges page 15. That to affirm just●f●cation to b● in obed●ence to the Light 〈◊〉 is to make him who is indeed the good Samarita●e to be no better th●n the Priest and ●he Levite who looked upon the w●●●ded man and so passed by but hast thou not here gross●ly manifested thy weakness and shallowness does he not the part of ●he good Samarita●● in coming i●to our wounded souls in powring in the Wine and Oyl of his blessed spirit life and vertue to cleanse and 〈◊〉 them yea if he did not appear in us and justifie 〈◊〉 within work Redempt●●on ●nd Salva●●on from sin in our hearts he might ●e said rather to pass by us as the Priest and th● Levite But that both here and oft elsewhere thou insin●ates as if we had no respect to his outward coming and sufferings in order to justification is a ●●lfe and disi●genious alleadg●nce of thin● we dearly own and respect him in bot● the way● of his coming an● do not set the one in opposition to the other nor divide them for they are in Unity and work together according to the Eterna● pu●pos● of God for the full and per●ect deliverance and Sa●vation of Man and who receive him in his inward coming and become subj●ct to him receive the ●enefit of his ou●ward coming receive the ben●fit of his sufferings and death his suffering and death is thei●s and they who witness him to live in them may 〈◊〉 it is Christ who dyed who can cond●mn who have hi● Lif● in them have any interest in his death and his blood cleanseth them from all sin but who seeks to rely upon his outward coming and suffering● and deny and crucifi● his appearance of Light and Life in their heart● have no p●rt in him But thou altogether excludes his inward coming by his Life and Spirit in mens hearts from havi●g any share in mens Redemp●ion and Salvation whereas the Apostle speaks of being sav●d by his Life and mentions ● day of Redemption that was yet to come after his outward sufferings u●to which those who first believed in him were 〈◊〉 and though the Apo●●le says if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by 〈◊〉 death of his Son yet he adds much more shall we besaved by his Life and though thou use● thi● Scripture to prove that men are fully and perfectly reconciled with God sing●y and solely upon the account of what Christ did suffered without us in his cru●ified body excluding so much as any inward quallification wrought by him in u● ●et it is but an abuse of the place ●nd a wresting the word● beyond the true int●nt and sence of the spirit nor need I go any further then thy own confession to alleadg● a more safe way of understa●ding that Scripture as whe●e thou says page 13. Al●h●ugh in the day● of Isaiah Ch●ist was not 〈◊〉 come in our flesh y●t the prop●●● spe●ks ●f ●t as a 〈◊〉 al●eady done it being so i● the purpose of God and so why 〈…〉 said that 〈◊〉 speak● of being reconcil'd after this manner it being so in the purpose of God to reconcile them fully unto him not as they remain in enmity to him but turned from it and so become friends and love●s of him and we do willingly acknowledge the full and perfect Redemption was in Christ while we were enemies yet we did not receive it while we continued enemies but now since we believed and were turned to him in our hearts we have received it as said the Apostle by whom we have now received the attonement or reconciliation so mark the word 〈◊〉 we have now received the reconciliation now since we believed and were turned to him in our hearts but not before In the 17 page whereas thou accuses us With denying the true Christ and asserting another ye● thou art found in the same guiltiness thy self which we are free of for we believe and acknowledge him who was manifest in that body of flesh to be the true and only Christ and Saviour and yet we believe him also to be the only true Christ and Saviour as manifest ●n us for he is not two Christs but one though he has had two manners or ways of coming as without us and within us both useful and needful yea both concurring unto our full and perfect deliverance and sa●vation from sin and the consequences thereof in soul and body and we believe that his outward coming was not a bare and naked example but hath a real influence and service in its place in and upon all who are saved though all have not that express knowledge thereof yea will thou not confess that infants are saved by Christ who yet have not this express know●edge of him But that I may make it appear that thou denyes the true Christ I shall bring th● own words page 17. Where thou expressly denyes that this light which enlightens every man tha● comes into the world is Christ and what is this to deny Christ and to deny the Scriptures Testimony of him for said he himself I am the light of the World and said John of him he was the true light that enlightens every man that comes into the world that all through 〈…〉 believe and if all through him might believe which was Johns Testimony then all through him might be saved But thou wilt have this light not to be in Christ but some other light which remained in Ad●m after his transgression and before the promise of the M●ssiah and stands in every man as a witness for God whe●●by he shall be left without

through the violence of men acted by Sathan and much more the blood of him who as a Lamb offered up himself without spot to God as a sacrifice of a sweet smell who was delivered for our offences and rose again for our justification G. K. Writ 7. 2. mo 1670. Here follows Robert Gordon's answering and confuting himself some of his manifest Contradictions to his Principles being insert in his own words And the Pages of his Book noted where they are R. Gs. Principles GOd man in whom all things pertaining to mans redemption c. were transacted not in our persons or within us but in his crucified body without us before any good wrought in us He hath already subdued all things finished trasgression made an end of sin page 3. and 4. R. G's Contradiction The mystery of Christ by his spirit dwelling in his Saints call'd in the holy Scripture Christ within you whereby God works in us c. God working all things in us by Christ pag. 4. his Spirit working all their works in them pag. 5. Observation See his manifest contradictions How is sin and transgression finished and made an end of without man while no good is wrought in them And seeing God works or transacts all things in Believers by the mystery of Christ and his holy spirit within and all their works in them how is all done and finished without them before any good is wrought in them R. G. Some pretend so much zeal for this mystery of Christ the operation of the Spirit of God in themselves that they deny the mystery of God in the flesh of Christ page 5. Contradiction The mystery Christ within you whereby God works in us through faith the fruit and effect of the work already wrought c. Christ within us whereby through faith we have evidence in our selves c. page 4. Observation We cannot too much own or be over much zealous for the mystery of Christ within or the work of God through his spirit within us nor thereby deny the mystery of God in the flesh of Christ or the effect and benefit of his sufferings in his body as falsly is implied and insinuated against us since that in owning Christ in the mystery we cannot but own the evidence thereof R. G. In the crucified body of Christ perfected and wrought at once Redemption Iustification and Reconciliation finished and compleated in Christ for us pag. 13. not in our persons pag. 4. Contradiction He was delivered for our offences he was raised again for our justification O remember the work of regeneration is to be wrought within thee pag. 9. Observation If Redemption Justification c. be not to be fulfilled by Christ in man or not in their persons what are you redeemed ●●stified or regenerated from or out of Surely not from iniquity or sin as true believers were and then you hypocriss ●in is remaining in your persons foa all your pretenses of being redeemed justified c. without But take thy contradiction O remember the work of regeneration i● is to be wrought within thee R. G. He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him He mentions not any consideration qualification or work wrought or to be wrought in any man by any light or spirit whatsoever A gross errour but singlely and solely upon the account of the active and passive obedience of the man Iesus c. pag. 12. in the crucified body justification c. finished compleated for us pag. 13. Contradiction Who seeing the travel of his soul was satisfied that he might make it effectual within every man that should come to God through him he counted to his Apostles the word of reconciliation as his Ambassadors in his steed to beseech men to be reconciled to God Work out your salvation pag. 12. Observation But first Were the Saints made the righteousness of God in Christ without any inward qualification or work of his light or spirit What a gross errour contradiction and sin-pleasing doctrine is this Is not this the Priests very notion of imputation while men are corrupt and sinful in themselves while they neither partake of the divine nature nor divine image in themselves And then Secondly what need was there for the Apostle to besee●h them to be reconcil'd to God or to work out their salvation if it was already wrought and finished without them before any good was wrought in them R. G. The Lord doth not direct man to that light in his conscience that shewed him his loss nor to light and power c. But promiseth him another kind of Saviour Contradiction A great mystery God manifest in the flesh c. He alone and none else then the very Word the love of the Father must be this great undertaker c. viz. for man pag. 20. Observation See his manifest falshood and contradiction For God the very word or love of the Father which doth redeem deliver and save the soul are not of another kind then the Light and Power But the same divine Light and Power by which the promised Seed did and doth bruise the Serpents head and overcome him that man might be redeem'd from the hand of his enemy R. G. The worker of the Redemption could not be the light enlightening every man c pag. 21 Contradiction Yet the very word pag. 20. God manifest in flesh p. 18. Observation Here his gross error and contradiction in denying Christ the Word and Redeemer to be that light that enlightens every man and yet the very word doth redeem and save And was it not the Word that was with God that was the true Light that enlightens every man coming into the world See Io. 1. 1. 4 9. R. G. Redemption and all things already wrought purchased c. for us in the crucified body not within us but before any good wrought in us pag. 3 4 5 without the help of any thing to be wrought in us pag. 20 Contradiction He to wit Christ ever liveth Mark this man ever liveth to make intercession for them O bear with me a little not satisfie your selves until you have a real evidence of your being particularly redeemed by experimentally witnessing the Living power of truth in your inward parts pag. 7. Observation Note his contradiction here For first if all things be already wrought in the crurified body what doth he interceed for Is it for that which God cannot justly with-hold if this be true Secondly are all things already wrought without the help of any thing to be wrought within And yet we must have a real evidence of our part●cular redemption by the living power of truth in our inward parts See how he hath confuted himself herein R. Gs. Erroneous and envious Principle That such as preach and print up the light inlightening every man that comes into the world to be he to wit Christ reject him and set at nought the stone c. pag. 32. Contradiction This is

death whose suffering sacrifice mediation in●ercession and offices with the blessed effects thereof within we own and confess according to the Scriptures of truth as inwardly revealed and evidenced by the spirit which we do not admit either o● sins past to be unrepented of nor of sins present to be committed nor sin ●o come to be persisted in however this or other Opposers and Prof●ssors do sooth and flatter themselves therein under their traditional notion of a satisfaction and imputation without them p. 16. as after R Gs. q●estions How can there be redemption where conscience ●hargeth of sin is it not against reason to believe redemption in another for us while sin is within To this he thus answers To this spirit I say who art thou that thus a●gues with God Which indeed is no answer nor proof but a meer s●lly begging of the question nor any demonstration that such a belief that is both contrary to conscience and the conviction of the light therein is either true or right in the ground of it whereby any are thus credulous either of their being redeemed saved or j●stified wi●hout them whilst they lie under the guilt and imputation of sin in their own consciences sin being then their burden and bondage which is contrary to a redeemed and justified state but such a blind and dead faith and conceit of redemption and justification as this man hath appeared in hypocritical Professors are w●nt to sooth up themselves withal in their sins And R. G. further adds p. 1● viz. Indeed it is a mystery of the Gospel that man's r●ason cannot comprehend the believer to be pure and beautiful as in Christ his head while weak in many things in himself in his body 〈◊〉 ●ath a law of sin but in the Lord he hath put it off as he walks by ●ight he is in the earth in labors ingroanings warefare and imperfections but as he walks by faith he is in Christ walking in rest in victory and perfection these ●r● paradoxes reason cannot fathom Answ●● This man thinks hee 's gotten beyond reason in his parado●es which indeed do appear so contradictory confused and unreasonable that every rational man may see his darkness herein to conclude the believer in war●ar● and imperfections in the body with a law of sin while pure beautiful walking in rest in victory and perfection in Christ his head which is all one as to say he i● in Christ and out of Christ pure and impure perfect and imperfect at the same instant or as the hypocritical Priests and Professors have said that men are imputatively righteous and justified while inherently and actually sinful and unjust and yet for all this R. G. makes account in pag. 39. that the law sin and death are so charged on Christs crucified body that sin is purged away out of the sight of God while yet he does not believe h●s people act●●lly ●reed from it which is corrupt Antinamionisme but these and such like paradoxes ●e cannot own as either reason or truth For how is Christ the Believers and Saints head or they perfect in him if they be imperfect or impure in the body are they not members of Christ and is not their faith their victory over sin and death And is it no perfection they have wa●ted and travelled to be ●e●ewed into the image of the heavenly Where 's the new birth new creature perfect on righteousness and true holiness so much preached and testified of by the holy men of God in the Scriptures of truth if men must be reckoned pure and perfect and in Christ when yet they are not washed from their fi●thiness in which state many are when yet they conceit that God counts them pure and j●stified Bu● he that j●●t fieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just they both are abo●ination before the Lord. R. G. We find thou hast no● brought forth any new thing as to matter or substance in these matters but art p●●nged in the old dark stuff of Priests and Professors who have writ against us though thou art more confused and appearest more malitious against us then many of them ●however thou pretendest love and bowels p. 40 which cannot hide thy dissimulation and enmity and thou hast not methodized nor worded their principles so well as many of them thou being confounded and mangled between truth and their corrupt traditional principles which we perceive thou dost not see the bottom and tendency of however thou thinkest thou art wise but the devil hath blinded thee with prejudice and conceit as he hath all that take thy part and spread thy books or else thou durst never have brought such a piece of folly falshood and mixt mangled stuff to publick view as thou hast done who also to shew thy ignorance of redemption thou usest these words viz The operation of the spirit of Christ within us not to redee●us p. 23. and Christ came into us by the ministration of the spirit not to redeem us pag. 38. Answ. This is contrary to the testimonies of both Prophets and Apostles who witnessed the redemption of their souls from under the bondage and power of sin and death so from the hand of the enemy Psa. 107. 2. David said draw nigh unto my soul and redeem it ps 69 ●8 So he did not put redemption afar off for the God of Israel was near whom the people owned for their Saviour and Redeemer from all in●quity Ps. 130. 7 8. And as the Apostle exhorted grieve not the holy spirit of God whereby ye are sealed uno the day of redempt on Eph. 4. 30. So that there was a day of redemption to be expected unto which they were sealed by the holy spirit which redemption was a freedom recovery or purchase from all iniquity which could not be effected without the operation of the spirit of Christ within who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all inquity Titus 2. 14. But this R. G. would impose on people a faith concerning redemption reconciliation and justification as all being finished wrought or purchased without them without respect to any works wrought or to be wrought within them by any light whatsoever p. 42. See Reader how erroneously he hath excluded the work of God and Christ from within as to the ransoming or freeing of man from sin and making him righteous and so bringing him into unity peace favour and friendship with God which is the true sense of redemption justification and reconciliation which are not effected nor obtained without the operation of the spirit of holiness within though Christs testimony suffering and example without had a tendency thereto 1 Cor. 6. 11. For it was by the spirit of God that the Saints were both washed sanctified and justified how ever tke Devil and his Agents endeavour to exclude and invalidate the inward operations of God Christ or his Spirit G. W. Errata Page 1. l. 37. ' for consider read crucifie p. 4. for 1. r. 4. l. 6. for enl●ghtening r. enlighteneth p. 12. l. 27 for any and. p. 14. l. 1. for is this r. is not this c. p. 15. l. 38. for no r. not p. 16. l. 12. for spent r. shut p. 17. l. 39. for hint r. limit p. 18. l. 1 for many r. man Second part p. 2. l. 30. for counted r. committed p. 8. l. 7. r. Christ now come dele to p. 12. l. 2 for Longworth r. Lawrie