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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	faith_n	follow_v	justification_n	7,990	5	9.4298	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47437	Christ alone the way to Heaven, or, Jacob's ladder improved containing four sermons lately preach'd on Genesis XXVIII, XII : wherein the doctrine of free-grace is display'd through Jesus Christ : also discovering the nature, office, and ministration of the holy angels : to which is added one sermon on Rom. 8, 1 : with some short reflections on Mr. Samuel Clark's new book intituled Scripture justification / by Benjamin Keach.	Keach, Benjamin, 1640-1704.	1698 (1698)	Wing K53; ESTC R24422	80,847	121

in before he fell Every Believer is made hereby a Son or Daughter of God born of God adopted by the Free-grace of God and made an Heir of God nay married to the Son of God and cloathed with the Righteousness of God or with 〈◊〉 Righteousness who is God and from this State can never fall So mu●h as to the First thing proposed i. e In what respects this Ladder Jesus Christ should be b●held Secondly I shall shew you how or in what respect we should behold Jesus Christ. First Exclusively or by way of opposition to all other Objects or Things We should behold Jesus Christ as our only Saviour exclusive of all other Ways Object or Means of obtaining eternal Life whatsoever 1. Exclusively or in Opposition to the Law and the Righteousness any can obtain by their own personal Obedience thereunto we ought to behold Jesus Christ Some in the Apostles time expected Justification by their own Obedience to the moral and ceremonial Law but Israel that followed after the Law of Righteousness hath not attained to the Law of R●ghteousness vers 31. Wherefore because they sought it not by Faith but as it were by the works of the Law for they stumbled at that stumbling-stone vers 32. They being ignorant of Gods Righteousness and going about to establish their own Righteousness have not submitted themselves to the Righteousness of God That is by their personal and own inherent Righteousness 2. Exclusive of all our Works or Righteousness done by us or wrought in us as part ●f the matter of our Justification before God or as any procuring Cause or Condition of our Justification and eternal Life For since all Boasting is excluded all Works done by us and Righteousness wrought in us are excluded but all Boasting is excluded c. Where is boasting then it is excluded by what Law of Works nay but by the Law of Faith 3. Exclusive of any other Sacrifice for Sin or Mediators The Papists look to their own vain Sacrifices Offerings and Pennance an● seek to other Mediators also to the detracting from the worth and satisfactory Sacrifice of Christ once for all but as there is but one Mediator between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus so there is but one Propiciatory Sacrifice which he offered up upon the Cross. 4. Nay we should behold this Ladder i.e. Jesus Christ exclusive of Faith it self either as an habit or act or in respect of its being any Condition or Cause procuring our Justification or as touching the effects or fruits of it or any ways else whatsoever save only as an Instrument by which we apprehend or receive Jesus Christ For it is not Faith which Justifieth us but the Object which it apprehends and takes hold of it was not the eye that beheld the brazen Serpent in the Wilderness that healed those that were stung but the Brazen Serpent that was beheld or lookt unto Secondly We must behold Jesus Christ by an eye of Faith or believe in him venture our Souls upon him Thus it is to behold him 1. To believe there is no Salvation but by and thro' Jesus Christ alone Neither is there Salvation in any other for there is no other Name given under Heaven whereby we must be saved No other Saviour for Soul or Body for Pardon or Peace 2. To believe tho' there is no Salvation in any other or in nothing else yet that there is Salvation in Christ for all that come unto him or savingly believe in him Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting Life And indeed to this end is Christ lifted up as a Ladder the top of which reaches to Heaven As the Brazen Serpent was lifted up that the vilest Sinners who behold him by an eye of Faith might be saved 3. To believe in Christ or thus to behold him is to lay the whole stress of our Salvation upon him and upon his Atonement upon his Righteousness or upon the Merits of his Blood alone 4. To behold Christ is to believe that he hath made our Peace with God that God is satisfied and well pleased in him that divine Wrath is appeased in him and that he Dyed for you or in your stead 5. To behold Christ is to apply his Blood and plead his Atonement against all Accusations that may be brought against you 1 When Satan lays the greatness of our Sins before us and aggravates them upon our Consciences it is then our Duty to repell his Assaults and Implead him by Pleading that Christ's Blood hath fully attoned and satisfied for all our Sins both those Sins we committed before Called and for all our Sins committed after we are Called 2. When our Consciences acc●se us 't is our Duty and Priviledge to Plead the Blood of Christ and look up to him who is our Advocate at the Father's Right-h●nd 3. When Men accuse us for our Faults and Failings we must behold Jesus Christ and believe the Sufficiency of his Righteousness and the Vertue and Merits of his Blood Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect it is God that Justifies Who is he that Condemneth it is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen again who is even at the Right-hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Who can Implead su●h or put in any Accusation against them whom God actually Acquits Justifies and pronounceth Righteous The Apostle saith our late ●nnotators say that such one may throw down the Gauntle● and challenge all the World let Conscience Carnal Reason Law Sin Hell and Devils bring forth a●● they can say it will not be sufficientto Condemnation Thirdly To behold Jesus Christ by Faith is to go directly to him as your Saviour and Adv●cate let your sins be what they will knowing that he is able to save you and that he hath b●rn all the punishment due that your sins deserved and this without thinking of bringing any thing with you to Commend you to him He requires no previous Qualifications of us Sinners must look to Christ come to Christ in their Sins beholding their loathsome Filth and abominable Guilt feeling and finding that their Wounds bleed and are corrupt and not to think to Wash themselves from their Sins by Repentance and Tears of Sorrow for Sin that they may Believe but come to him to be Washed Believe in him that they may be Justified and Healed Faith will produce Repentance They shall look to him whom they pierced and they shall mourn as a Man mourns for his only Son and be in bitterness as a Man is in bitterness for his First-born Fourthly We should behold Christ as a Sure way to the Father This Ladder will bring us to God who is at the Top of it or above it and as this only is the Way so it is a Sure way No Man cometh to the Father but by me By Christ we

God but from the Devil 3. Moreover let no person now expect God should speak unto them by Dreams or Visions for tho' he did so frequently before Christ came yet Now in these last days God hath spoken unto us by his Son and we have a more sure Word of Prophecy God now as reverend Perkins notes doth not usually speak to us by Dreams yet he being a free Agent may so do if he please and no doubt sometimes he doth thus speak tho' not commonly for the Instruction and Consolation of his People Yet let a●● take heed they are not deceived by Dreams Luthe● observes how many in his time were deluded b● Dreams and Visions which they falsly attribute● to God as the immediate Author of them and fro● hence prayed earnestly about two things 1. That God would give him a good Understanding of the Scriptures and of his Mind revealed therein 2. That he would not send him Dreams or Visions Yea saith he I contracted with God that h● would not Brethren the holy Scriptures are those sacred Oracles by which God speaks to us and 〈◊〉 them i● contained all things which are necessary for us to know as to Faith and Practice being sufficient to make every Man Wise to Salvation thro' Faith in Jesus Christ and Perfect throughly furnished unto all good Works Therefore certainly such that are not satisfied to adhere to the holy Scriptures as a sufficient Rule in all points of Faith and Practice but desire God to speak unto them by Dreams o● Visions are deluded by Satan and do thereby cas● great contempt upon the holy Scriptures But no more as to Dreams in general we will now come to this remarkable Dream and Vision Jacob had And behold a Ladder c. II. Observ. The Lord Jesus may fuly be compare● to a Ladder that is set upon the Earth and the To● of it reaching to Heaven This Proposition I shall open God assisting And First I shall run a parallel between Jesus Christ and Jacob's Ladder And Shew that Christ may be compared to Jacob's Ladder In respect both of his Person and Offices Now Before I proceed I know not my Brethren why we may not run the Parallel so far as there is a clear Parity and it is consistent with the Analogy of Faith 1. A Ladder is the contrivance of the Wisdom of Man for the reaching attaining or doing of some thing which the Author designed thereby to do So JESUS CHRIST as Mediator GOD-MAN in one Person is the rare and wonderful contrivance of the infinite Wisdom of God for his attaining or accomplishment of his own most glorious design and purpose which is the Glory and Exaltation of his own Name and the Salvation of his Elect who on this Mystical Ladder must ascend to Heaven 2. A Ladder is a proper means or Medium to attain to that thing or accomplish that work which it was contrived or made for and possibly without which Medium it was impossible for the Person to reach to that thing or do that work which he designed and purposed to attain unto or to accomplish and bring to pass So JESUS CHRIST is the only way and means which GOD hath found out to bring us to Heaven The Builders of Babel thought to get up to Heaven by a contrivance of their own even by erecting a mighty Tower the top of which they said should reach to Heaven but they were soon confounded And like to them Mystery-babylon hath sought out other ways to Heaven then by this Mystical Ladder Jesus Christ they think to get Justification and eternal Life by their own good Works and by other Sacrifices then by the one Sacrifice of the Cross which they offer up for the living and the dead but they are but Babel-builders even blind and deceived Wretches whom God hath confounded and will confound Brethren there is no other way nor means to obtain eternal Life but by Jesus Christ alone I am the Way the Truth and the Life no Man cometh unto the Father but by me Jesus Christ went to Heaven as our blessed Head and Representative by his own Blood by his own Blood he entered in once into thy holy Place to shew that there is no other way by which Sinners can go to Heaven this only suiting with the Wisdom of God and every ways answering his own glorious Purpose and Design in manifesting and magnifying the Glory of all his blessed Attributes and making the Law honourable by Christ● fulfilling all the Precepts thereof and bearing the penalty of it to free us from the Curse thereof Some think to get to Heaven by a Sober Moral Life others by their own Faith and inherent Holiness and Obedience to the precepts of the Gospel but in opposition to all these 〈◊〉 Christ is the Way● it is by his Righteousness alone we are Justified in the sight of God his perfect Obedience to the Law is our Title to eternal Life and by his death who bore Hell pangs for us we are delivered from everlasting Wrath and Condemnation Neither is there Salvation in any other For there is no other Name given under Heaven whereby we must be Saved For either Soul or Body there is no other Person no other Sacrifice no other Righteousness no other way or thing But by this Mystical Ladder Jesus Christ alone by which we can be Saved 3. A Ladder must be long enough to to reach the thing desi●ed Now Jesus Christ in respect of his two Natures is prepared so by the Wisdom of God that in his Person he may be said to reach from Earth unto Heaven 1. As touching his Humane Nature which is the F●ot of this Ladder this stands as it were upon the Earth And 2. As touching his divine Nature which is the Top of the Ladder this reacheth unto Heaven and in these two Natures in the Person of Christ we have what is represented by Jacob's Ladder for as these two Natures are in his Person united together Heaven and Earth are united together And now that he is God see John 1.1.2 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God Christ in respect of his divine Nature is here called the Word he was before the beginning of the Word even 〈◊〉 everlasting or ever the Earth w●s He was with God and was God not a Creature he was not Created at the beginning but was the Creator the Maker of Heaven and Earth all things were made by him not as the Instrumental Cause of all things or any Instrument in the Father's hand but as a Principle Efficient Cause of all things Without controversie great is the mystery of Godliness God was manifest in the Flesh. The Word was made Flesh and dweit among us That is the Son of God or second Person in the Trinity The Evangelist as one observes rather saith he was made

Right-hand Can thei● be greater Honour confer'd upon them Sirs wh●● would not adventure up this Ladder when the●● is such such Glory It is indeed the way th● only way to possess those Crowns of immorta● Grandure that are prepared in Heaven Thirdly By this advancement i.e. by bein● Espoused and Married to Jesus Christ all tha● Christ hath is theirs they have not Honou● only but much Wealth and riches also 1. The Righteousness of Christ is theirs to Justifie them that is the white Raiment o● glorious Robe with which they are cloathed 2. His Graces to adorn them In Christ are unsearchable Riches Riches and Righteousness are with me yea durable Riches and Righteousness Hence it is that the Apostle would have the Saints know the greatness of their Riches That ye may know what is the hope of your Calling and what the Riches of the Glory of his Inheritance in the Saints Here is Riches in this Inheritance Many have Riches and no Glory others have Honour prefer'd upon them but have no Riches Ignoble Spirits scrape a great deal of Wealth together in which they place their vain Hope and Hapiness in but die without Honour like the Beasts that Perish Alas their Wealth is but for a Day but this is Lasting Durable Eternal as is their Honour the Crown of Glory fadeth not away it is in Heaven and Saints are a going to it on Jacob's Ladder it is in their view they see it and therefore climb up and shall in due time reach it Happy are they that are called up this Ladder to such a hope it is called the high-calling of God in Christ Jesus Fourthly The Saints are not only the Adop●ed Sons and the Spouse of Christ but they are ●orn of God they are begotten and born of God born from above they that are thus called have an heavenly Birth therefore it is an high-calling this gives them meet and fit frames of Spirit such which become their noble Station and blessed Relation What would a relative Change signify without a real Change I mean a Change of State without ● Change of Heart Can a carnal heart see Beauty in Christ or in heavenly things Can ●n earthly Spirit prize or value spiritual Honour or Riches No no a Swine may as well take delight in the Glory of a King's Palace Alas ●e had far rather be on a Dunghil or wallow 〈◊〉 the Mire Moreover much of the advancement of Believers lies in their heavenly Frames and nobleness of their Spirits Works Ends and Aims In this the Righteous is more excellent than his Neighbour 1. He hath a Heavenly a Humble a Meek a Publick a Merciful an Inlightened a Free a Firm a Sublime a Sanctified a Raised an Act●ve and a Faithful Spirit and all this proceeds from that New-birth which he is passed under or it is the fruit or effect of his being born of God or regenerated by the holy Spirit These Persons have other Principles also than the rest of Mankind have Every Life hath Principles according to the Nature of it a Vegetative Life according to the Nature of it a Sensitive Life according to the Nature of it and the Rational Life according to the Nature of it So the Life of Grace hath Principles according to the Nature of it A Saint acts for God from a principle of Faith and Love this make the ways of God easy nay sweet and pleasant to him 2. These Men have other work also or imploy themselves in other Business than ungodly Persons do their New-nature prompts them on to make Religion their main Business and they also act freely voluntarily and with a great and strong Propensity in the things of God others act in such matters as Men without heart they must put a force on themselves if they meddle with heavenly Duties and heavenly things because of the earthly and carnal temper and frames of their Hearts But as to heavenly born Souls it is below them to be continually a digging in the Earth and loading themselves with thick Clay or to heap up the dust of the Ground or to take their chiefest Delight in eating and drinking or in pleasing their sensual Lusts No they are going as fast as they can from these things in their Hearts and Affections Love and Delight and Desires they see the Beauty of God and the Excellencies of Jesus Christ they pry into the Mysteries of the Gospel and of that Redemption which is by Jesus Christ They mind eternal things 3. Moreover this new Nature which is wrought in them causes them to have more noble high and sublime Ends and Aims than all others have 'T is not their own honour nor their own profit they seek but it is the honour and glory of God they Aim at God who is at the Top of the Ladder as the end of their Journey as is said before God beloved i● their last end it is to reach him enjoy him for evermore they mount up on high Fifthly They are Elivated or highly Advanced and Exalted in that they have such a Sublime Mystical and intimate Union with God and Jesus Christ He that is Joined to the Lord is one Spirit There is saith a Reverend Writer no stricter Union in the World than that of Christ and Believers it is therefore compared to all sorts of Unions Natural and Political He is the Head they the Members he is the Root they the Branches he the Husband they the Wife 'T is so firm so strong a Union intensively that Christ and a Regenerate Man becomes one Spirit as if there was but one Soul in two Bodies what the Spirit doth in Christ it doth also in a Believer ac●ording to the capacity of his Soul I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in One. This shews it is a wonderful and mysterious Union more to be admired then it can be explained And the spring of it rises from the hypostatical Vnion of our Nature with the Divine Nature in the Person of Christ O how doth this exalt Believers Sixthly They are not only elivated advanced and lifted up on high by vertue of this Union but also in that they are allowed and daily have Communion with the Father Son and holy Spirit But without Regeneration or our Natures being first changed this could not be What Communion can there be between a living God and a dead Heart Or between a holy God and a filthy and polluted Creature God hates Sin and he loves it God loves Holiness and he loathes it Justification changes our state that discharged us from the Guilt of Sins but Regeneration changes our Nature and makes us fit to converse with God For as God can take no pleasure in us until his Image is stampt upon us so we can take no Delight nor pleasure in Him Without this Change Heaven would be no Paradice or Heaven unto us