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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	evil_a	good_a	tree_n	33,809	5	11.7409	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35175	An exposition of the second verse of the fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans with an appendix on chap. III ver. 27 : the former being the summ of fifteen sermons, the latter of five, for further explication of that great doctrine of justification / by Walter Cross, M.A.	Cross, Walter, M.A.	1694 (1694)	Wing C7260; ESTC R31338	133,901	168

The Goodness of God would not suffer our Justification to be sooner for he would not keep us out of Possession of what is our Right if as a just Judge he Justified us as a Merciful Governour he would Treat us as such and let us have the Common Priviledge of Free Subjects which is his Spirit Not the later for his Justice could not give to a condemned Criminal without the Imputation of Mediatorial Satisfaction the greatest of the Favours and best of the Blessings of his Kingdom but whatever Arguments proved the former Proposition proves this As for the Antinomian Notion of Justification from Eternity it seems more absurd than the Eternity of the World There is a Threefold Use this Doctrine affords of Tryal to the Doubtfull of Support to the Dejected and of Conviction to the Carnal secure Person As to the First Whatever doth prove the Sincerity of a mans Faith the Reality of his Regeneration may be to him a sure Index and Token of his Pardon since Regeneration it self is the Justificatory Sentence As to the Second Whether the dejection or despair of Mind arise from the greatness of Sin the Violence of Temptations the strength of Lust the multitude of Backslidings or long continuance in that comfortless State or from such speculative Doctrines as the Fewness of the Chosen and fixedness of the Number of them for whom Christ died yet this one thing may support the Soul and fill it with the Joy of a pardon'd Criminal that if there be the least dram of Grace though small as a Mustard-seed Mat. 17.20 thy State is secur'd whatever come of others or however uneasie our present Condition be For the Third It is a vain thing for that man to live in Hopes and trust in Gods Mercy and Christs Satisfaction without any inward Change in the Temper of his Mind for the Sentence of Justification is never pass'd upon him untill he be Regenerate Thus the Apostle argues Rom. 6. obviating that Objection If Grace be glorified in the Pardon of Sin let us continue in sin that Grace may abound He answers How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein He that is dead is justified from sin These two are inseparable a Justification from the Guilt of sin and a Mortication from the Power and Pollution of sin I come now to the other Term of the Proposition Works which I shall first Explain by several distinguishing Characters and then secondly come to the Proposition and shew in what sense the one is deny'd Of the other how far Works are excluded from Justification For the first 1. They are Good Works neither Jews nor Gentiles ever pretended that God would justifie us for bad Works that the same should be matter of Condemnation and Justification that what needs a Pardon should deserve a pardon 2. Not meerly Good in Mens Opinions the Pharisees thought their Works better than they were Luke 16.15 they did highly esteem what God did abominate and justified themselves for it for Paul might then and should have brought Arguments to prove they would be Condemn'd for their Works And 2ly would have Corrected their Error as Christ did Mat. 5. by shewing their Works were not good they came not up to the Extent and Spirituality of the Law 3. The Apostle argues against the Works of the Law Rom. 3.20 and the Law it self v. 27. and 4.13 not against a misinterpretation of the Law Christ calls that Mat. 5. said of old and said of them the Opinion and Tradition of Rabbins not the Law and Works of the Law It 's a sandy Foundation which some lay for their Comments Systems and Sermons that only the works here meant are Mosaical in the Pharisaical sense of them without one word of proof for it for then the fault or defect would be in the Law not in the Works by the Law for this Law say some of them had only Temporal Rewards and Punishments 3. All Humane Actions works in general not as Grotius only External Works Aristotle and his Followers distinguish between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Works and Actions But Divinity that has only the Morality of Actions for its formal Object cannot exclude Internal where all Morality lyes The External works of the Apostles are call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Acts as their famous and Sacred History is entituled and 1 Thes 1.3 Faith and Love are styl'd Works Besides we find Obedience Righteousness and Works of the same import through the Scripture and especially in this Epistle Rom. 6.16 of Obedience unto Righteousness and without Works and without a Man 's own Righteousness are of the same import 4. Good Works are the Fruits of the Spirit Eph●s 5.9 The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness rigbteousness and truth Galat. 5.22 5. Good Works are wrought by a Righteous Man Mat. 7.18 A good Tree cannot bring forth evil Fruit neither c. Ephes 2.10 The Apostle proves that we are saved not of Works because Good Works follow our being God's Workmanship 6. Good Works must be according to Divine Command for that is the Rule and Standard between Good and Bad as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 John 3.4 is the formal Nature of Sin so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the formal Nature of Good Works Deut. 4.2 Good Works are call'd Righteousness because according to the Law that is the measure of the Creators right to his Creatures and of the fellow Creatures to one another Hence we are always sent to the Law and to the Testimonies if not according to these there is neither Truth nor Goodness in them Johannes Agricola the Ring-leader of Antinomians is usually condemn'd amongst Divines and it s said was Converted by Luther from this Error That Repentance was taught by the Gospel and not by the Law for the Law is the Rule of all Obedience the Gospel is a Doctrine of Joy Luke 2.10 A word of Grace Acts 20.29 because it brings the tydings of pardon to guilty Persons The Law teaches Man's Righteousness but the Gospel teaches God's Righteousness Rom. 1.17.3.21 And hence our State being mixed of Law and Gospel no Works are truly good and acceptable to God by the Law alone Not from a defect in the Law but a defect in us that cannot fulfill it Hence 7. No work is good without Faith Heb. 11.6 Rom. 14. last There is some deformity in every action by reason of some defect or want of its Conformity to the Law And 8 Its action needs a Pardon as well as every Person and therefore are only acceptable in the Name of Christ Coloss 3.17 Whatsoever ye do in word or deed do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus The doing in Faith and the doing in his Name are all One so 't is a Justifying Faith that 's needed to justifie every action and this Composition makes the Actions truly good and as acceptable to God as those that were no ways deficient

exercise of Faith on Christ his Solicitude and Care least he should be found with a wrong Plea at the Day of Judgment that I may be found He had once been deceiv'd by trusting to a Righteousness It can hardly be thought he was jealous of his Relapse into Pharisaism But there is a greater Danger of relying on Evangelical Righteousness that needed more Watchfulness and Care least he should over-value what he ought to Value 5. This Experience and Care he expresses to be a Pattern and Example to the Philippians V. 17. Be ye followers of me Every Man is apt to value himself on the Righteousness he has Rom. 10.3 the Pharisees in theirs and the Christians to whom he wrote in theirs it allures the Eyes of every Creature and Act. 10.35 is accepted of God according to the measure of its Conformity In every Nation he that fears God and works righteousness is accepted 6. The Apostle would hardly dignifie Pharisaical Righteousness now since Conversion with that Name for the Pinnacle of it Persecuting the Church was a sin and he diminishes it when speaking of it he calls it a blamelesness that is before Men so Bishop Downam 7. Ver. 9. All the Properties and Epithets of Christs Righteousness imputed by God and apply'd by Faith to us for our Justification are here express'd 1. A Righteousness by Faith and thorough Faith not of Faith as Fruit of the Tree 2. By the Faith of Christ a Righteousness that comes from Christ thorough Faith the Righteousness is Christs and the true Office of Faith in Justification is described 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of God this Word added as distinct from Christ by Divines is Interpreted of God the Father this Righteousness is by his Gift his Contrivance his Imputation he is the Spring and Fountain of it Christ is made of God unto us Wisdom c. He set him forth to be a Propitiation God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself 8. The Native Analysis and Coherence of the Apostles Discourse in this Chapter further proves it which is always to me an Argument of great Moment and the Members of Division are here as evident as in any Writings of this Apostle and suitable to his Custom and Way of Writing After an Introduction in the 1st ver in the 2d ver there is a Caution given about some bitter Enemies of the Gospel and a Triple Character of them Dogs Evil-workers Concision by which it seems they were the old Enemies the Pharisees 2. In Opposition to them ver 3. there is a Character of a true Christian in three contrary Epithets 1. They Worship God in the Spirit 2. Rejoice in the Lord. And 3. Have no Confidence in the Flesh This triple Character to the 15. ver he enlarges and illustrates by the Example of his own Person in a retrograde Order 1. That he had no Confidence in the Flesh ver 4 5 6. 2. That he rejoiced in the Knowledge of the Lord Jesus and thô he put this in its proper Place it was the Principal thing in his aim ver 1. his last Use and Application from the Character of Christ in his Humiliation and Exaltation finally my Brethren rejoice in the Lord and might as the Principal Subject given Method to the Chapter as Branches to flow from it But then one harmony would have been lost the Character of Christ in the second Chapter and Character of a Christian in the third yet when he comes to it it becomes on this account a new Spring to all that follows for he divides the Reasons of our Rejoycing in the Knowledge of Christ and highly valuing it under these two Heads 1. Justification ver 7 8 9. And 2. Sanctification ver 10 11 12 13 14. For ver 10. he repeats the Knowledge of Christ as Root to another Blessing the former was from the value of his Death this from the Power of his Resurrection So in this 10th ver the Third Member of the Christians Character begins Their Worshipping God in the Spirit their inward Holiness but treated with a likeness to its Relation to the second Member or Character to which it was immediately United from the 15th ver follows the Application pressing and exhorting the Philippians to true Christianity as exemplifi'd by and in him And I think they who would jostle Christs Righteousness out of this Discourse may with as great Confidence attempt to jostle it out of the Bible and out of the Christian Doctrine The hard Names and rough Language given to the Adversaries is no sufficient ground of concluding they profess'd not Christianity but rather the contrary for 2 Cor. 11.13 he calls the false Apostles who preach'd Christ Deceitful Workers and compares them not only to Dogs but Devils who had chang'd themselves into Angels of Light their shining Lustre lay in this They preach'd Free Grace Christs Meritorious Death but the Satanicalness was in a Merit of their own praerequisite to an Interest in it Their Light lay in denying Pharisaical Righteousness alone but the Devil lay in placing a legal Right in their Gospel Obedience Hence v. 14. it 's said they transform'd themselves into Ministers of Righteousness they did exalt Holiness and Righteousness more highly than Paul did and afford it a more honourable Office viz. the giving a right to Justification Adoption and Glory 2 Cor. 11.4 This was a departing from the Simplicity that is of Christ they preach'd not a simple but double Righteousness one of Christs another of their own and hence room for this Currish and Doggish Temper barking against the Apostle as an Enemy to Holiness They were Ministers of Righteousness not He and They preach'd the Spirit the Gospel and Christ as well as He but a greater value They put on inhaerent Righteousness than He. And thus as the Serpent that incarnate Devil deceiv'd Eve so These did the Corinthian and Philippian Churches they were a Concision the Word signifies Renters they made Schisms in the Church by this New Doctrine about Inhaerent Righteousness 5 Arg. Is from the Order of receiving Divine Blessings and the Equality in the freeness of the Gift For the first There is a common saying of Austin's Bona opera sequuntur Justificatum non praecedunt Justificandum Good Works follow a justified Person they do not go before in him to be justified according to Rom. 4.5 But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the Vngodly Mat. 7.18 A good Tree bringeth forth good Fruit. John 15.5 The Branch must be in the Vine before it can bring forth Fruit. As to the second There is no Reason why Justification and Glorification should not be as freely given and Grace as much glorified in the Gift as Sanctification which is own'd to be an absolute Gift necessary Connection or Posteriousness in Order does not derogate from Freedom But when the Posteriousness is by a depending Suspension on our Performance there is a Derogation Election is Free without