Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	faith_n	justification_n	justify_v	66,293	5	9.1095	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31174	Salvation laid on its right foundation, or, The free grace of God prov'd to be the only ground of, and to have the alone stroke in, the matter of our salvation being the sum of two sermons / preach'd to a county auditory by an admirer of grace, and the freeness of it.	R. C.	1698 (1698)	Wing C113A; ESTC R34781	22,006	33

By Grace are ye saved through Faith That is as I told you in the Explication of the words by Christ believed on or Faith on Christ for you must always take it with the object we are not to place Righteousness in our Act of believing for by our believing we add nothing to our justifying Righteousness but do only apply it as wholly derived from Christ alone John 5.12 He that hath the Son hath Life We are not to take up our Standing partly in the Act of Faith and partly in the Object of faith making up as a Holy Man now with the Lord was wont to say a Righteousness partly from our selves and partly from Christ But we are by Faith to go out of our selves unto Christ for our whole sole and Justifying Righteousness The Scripture does not ascribe our Justification to the Act but wholly to the Object of Faith not to our believing but to Christ believed c. Now Faith being thus taken with the Object we may hence note by way of Doctrine or Observation That the Free Grace of God and Faith may stand together They don't one take away the other Faith hath been always Requisite as the the Instrument to apprehend and take Christ our Righteousnoss that so we might in God's sight be Justified This as the Apostle tells us the Scripture plainly holds forth 〈◊〉 12. The Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the Promise by Faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe And it is said God so loved the World that he hath given his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should have Everlasting Life 〈◊〉 16. Where we see Faith to be brought in as the Instrument without which neither the Promise can be appropriated nor Salvation attained When the Jaylor cryed Sirs what must I do to be saved You hear what Answer is given to the Question Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 〈◊〉 30 And therefore as the Righteousness of Christ hath been bestowed upon Men so it is true That Faith hath been all along appointed as the Receiver thereof Faith as one well notes is our Modus Habendi it is the Way and Means by which we come to have God and Christ and an Interest in Salvation by Grace We cannot have the Son but by Faith nor be in Christ but by believing but here some may object what I have already said namely That the grace of God cannot stand with any thing in man how then may such say can it stand with Faith I answer It is true that the grace of God does not brook any thing inherent in man and of man and yet notwithstanding may well agree with faith for faith is not of man no not in man by nature for says the Apostle all men have not faith 2 Thes 3.2 but it is only in Renewed Men and Women and in them as a gift of meer grace 2dly Faith does not justifie as it is an inherent quality in us but as it apprehends Christ Jesus the Redeemer 1 Cor. 3.30 who is made of God to us Wisdom and Righteousness and Purity God does not justifie us because of any antecedent act of Faith we have lying by us and which we could produce as a price as it were and a meritorious means of our Justification God justifies us by working Faith in us and therefore the Apostle says it is of faith Rom. 4.16 that it might be of grace thus you see that Faith is not at all prejudicial to the free grace of God And this is not the only Reason because that faith is given of grace for then all the gifts of the Holy Ghost might come likewise into the Article of Justification For 3dly Faith receives only and shews to God that righteousness of Christ which God hath given ond only for that thing received and not for the receiving that it seeks to be justified Oh that these great Truths which are the fundamental Points in our Religion were more advanced by Ministers and admired by Hearers 4thly Faith receiving Christ stands with the free grace of God because it is of Grace that the believing soul laying hold on Christ is justified for the Law knows not this Righteousness but bids us bring one of our own it is therefore of the Lords grace that we have faith to lay hold on the Righteousness of his Son so that it is clear that the free grace of God and faith may stand together hence by way of Use it is so that free grace and faith may stand together and that faith is tho' not our righteousness yet of singular use and excellency in that it apprehends the righteousness of Christ and for that righteousness seeks to be justified Oh then magnifie and adore the free grace of God for this gift if it had not been for faith Christ and our souls would have never met we had never tasted any preciousness in him nor have been led out in desires after him Oh therefore be bowing your selves before the Lord for the gift of Faith bestowed on you tho withheld from others But 2dly Seeing faith tho it be instrumental yet it is not causal in the matter of our Justification let this reprove those who would put in claim for justification on account of their faith as if that were materially or influentially causal of Justification Faith it self as it is the Believers Act comes under the notion of a work it may be necessary therefore to consider what part it is that faith holds in this matter lest whiles we exclude works as inconsistent with grace I mean as a procuring cause of our Salvation we make a work of faith it is the Office or Work of Faith to make the soul live wholly on the fulness of another and to get emptied of it self to apprehend that righteousness by which grace justifies therefore such are highly reproveable who presume upon coming to God with price in their hand they never truly received the gift of Faith for that comes empty handed to God and leads the soul to God as a forlorn worthless Creature looking for justification and salvation from nothing on this side the free grace of God True faith moulds the soul into the frame of spirit old Jacob was when he cried Gen. 32.10 I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies it bows down under a sence of its own nothingness which is fixed upon Christ's fulness But 3dly It is so that faith though not causal is very instrumental in the matter of justification and salvation Oh then as ever you would suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations ●sa 66.11 as ever you would see any beauty or loveliness in faith or reap comfort and satisfaction by the abundance of faith beg earnestly that God would strenghen your faith imitate the man in the Gospel who cried Lord I believe Mark 9.23 help my unbelief q. d. Lord I cannot

gracious and merciful To be gracious is to do well to one that deserves ill and if otherwise it wou'd be but after the Covenant of Works or first Covenant which yet was not faulty or defective in it self for it gave a Sufficiency to obtain the Benefits proposed by it which if they had used and improved as they might there would not have needed a Second but the Lord foreknowing the Creatures Mutability and consequently what need there would be of another Kind of Power and Grace than that Adam was Created with did therefore resolve of a Second which in Scripture is called Tit. 1.2 The hope of Eternal Life which God that cannot Lye promised before the World began It is styled The Covenant of Grace not only as designing the Glory of his Grace in the saving of Men but as giving freely and of Meer Grace and Favour whatever must bring about that salvation for where else can lie the difference between the Two Covenants It cannot be in respect of the Duties injoyned by either for Faith and Repentance are much more above the Compass of Natural Power than to forbear the Forbidden Tree but the differ noe lies in this that the New Covenant consists of better Promises And this Excellency lies in the free and absolute Engagement of God himself to invest his covenanted ones with all things conducing to the Blessedness held forth That is to give to them and work in them whatever he in this Covenant requires of them The Law shews us our Duty but does not give strength to perform it The Covenant of Grace does both by writing the Law in the Heart The Covenant of Grace runs not upon Conditional or failable Terms I will if ye will but Absolute and Sovereign I will and ye shall And further this Covenant Gives salvation not upon your Ingenious complyance with what it prescribes or better Improvement of what you have in Communion with others Such claims and pretensions the Lord disallows and often cautions against but of Grace that all our Hope might be in God and the Riches of his Grace This being the nature and Substance of the Covenant of Grace is a sufficient Reason Why God will save his by meer Free Grace and Vndeserved favour The uses of the point are several First It is so that we are saved by meer Free Grace and undeserved favour Then this Confutes the Error of Arminians Free Willers c. In holding a Concurrence of our works Whereas it is evident That if our Justification be of Grace then there can be no room for any Inherent Holiness or works of ours to make up or Concur with it For the Apostle makes a flat Opposition between Grace and Works otherwise Grace were no Grace Rom. 11. they are so opposite that like Fire and Water they expel each other and as one says Grace is no more to be Accounted Grace unless it be every way most Free. By Grace is meant The free favour of God who is not moved by any thing without himself But what he does he does freely without respect to Mens desert Nay their undesert rather is an expedient consideration in this Act of Grace By Works we are to understand All that self Righteousness Goodness or whatever else is performable by Men there Viz Grace and Works he proves as Inconsistent as Contraries can be Grace and Works have always clashed To him that worketh the reward Rom. 4.4 is reckoned not of Grace but of Debt The setting up of the one is the deposing of the other it 's dangerous daubing with things unmixable and thus are Grace and Works in no wise to be mingled If you take in any part tho never so little of your own performances as necessary to that being justified you forfeit the whole benefit of Gospel Grace By Grace are ye saved is the Language of the Text and in Rom. 3.24 It is said We are justified freely by his Grace which word freely is very Emphatical and is especially taken up in three Cases First When a Man does a thing without hope of the least profit Secondly When a Man does a thing rashly or inconsiderately but this sense is not proper here Thirdly When a Man doth a thing undeservedly nothing moving him thereunto but much which might lead him to the contrary and thus it is here to be understood For when there was nothing in us which might procure it Nay much which might Exasperate the Lord against us even then he saved us freely of his Grace zek 16.6 When we were in our Blood then he said Live and even then resolved to make us Eternally happy and that against the Natural bent of our own will leaving us to admire that his Love should be fixed on such as we Crying out What are we and what is our Fathers House Sam. 7.18 that God should bring us hitherto And how is it That thou hast manifested thy self to us and not unto the World John 14.22 Secondly By way of Consolation Is it so that we are saved by meer Free Grace and undeserved Favour Then this affords matter of great Comfort and Consolation to true Believers for if our Salvation be of meer Grace and depends not on any Worth or Holiness in us why should we fear Indeed if we were to be saved by what we have done then we might be in daily despair and indeed utterly despair Alas what are we unclean Wretches that we should be of any worth in God's sight 〈◊〉 25.5 6. before whom the Stars are unclean Yea the Stars are unclean in his sight How much less Man that is a Worm and the Son of Man which is a Worm Alas what are the best Performances of such poor Creatures 〈◊〉 15.15 when it is said The Heavens are not clean in his sight Nay He charges his Angels with Folly 〈◊〉 4.8 How much more Abominable and Filthy is Man which drinketh up Iniquity like water as at the 16th of the 15th of Job Oh! what is our Holiness but as a Menstruous Clout and our Righteousness not Righteousness in this or that Act but our Righteousnesies all of them and the best of them are but as silthy Rags But now seeing it is not of him that willeth Isa 64.6 nor of him that runneth but in God that sheweth we may boldly accept and confidently trust in this Free Grace of God Rom. 7.16 We are to bear our selves upon it altho as of our selves we are unworthy of it For why should we put away this Rich Grace held forth and offered to us Why should we not chearfully embrace it and rejoyce in it especially since it hath appeared unto all and God without respect of Persons makes tender of it to the poor base despised ones of the World as well as to the Rich Mighty and Noble And let it be observed That it is not a true Humility but a sottish Pride to put away and Judge our selves