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	justify_v	lively_a	5,609	5	10.8676	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30904	Truth cleared of calumnies wherein a book intituled, A dialogue betwixt a Quaker and a stable Christian (printed at Aberdeen, and upon good ground judged to be writ by William Mitchell ...) is examined, and the disingenuity of the author, in his representing the Quakers is discovered : here is also their case truly stated, cleared, demonstrated, and the objections of their opposers answered according to truth, Scripture, and right reason / by Robert Barclay.	Barclay, Robert, 1648-1690.	1670 (1670)	Wing B738; ESTC R22049	63,242	72

hee humbled himselfe unto death even unto the death of the crosse tasting death for every man This is an honest and plaine and true account of our beleife in this matter and is in substance one and the same with that which at sundry tymes thou and thy brethren hast received from us notwithstanding the bare scanty and disingenuous account thou givest of us in this matter Secondly As to the vast difference that lyeth betwixt us and the Papists any who are not willfully blind may see it who know their Doctrine and ours in this thing It is not the works of Christ wrought in us nor the works which wee work in his Spirit and power that wee rest and relye upon as the Ground and foundation of our justification but it is Christ himselfe the worker revealed in us indwelling in us his life and Spirit covering us that is the Ground of our justification and wee feeling our selvs in him feeling him in us and his Spirit his life covering us wee feel our justification and peace with God in him and through him the alone Mediatour betwixt God and Man Now this manner of justification by the indwelling of Christ in the Saints and of his Spirit is not held by the Papists but is expressly denied by them and disputed against particularly by Bellarmine And Christ Iesus himselfe is both first and last our justification and foundation of it and as to being justified by works the Scripture is plaine for it and so wee may not deny it but plead for it according to the true sence and mind of the Spirit as wee are taught of him But to be justified by him is more then to be justified by works and therefore are wee justified in our works which wee work in him because wee are in him and work them in him and because the Lord accepteth and justifieth us in him therefore hee accepteth and justifieth our works wrought in him and accepteth and justifieth us in relation to these works and though it hath beene said by us that Good works which are wrought in Christ and are rather his then ours are meritorious yet wee understand it not any otherwayes then thus that all their Merit or worth is from Christ and seing they are said in Scripture to have their reward and Reward and Merit are relative terms inferring one another in that sence wherin they are said to be rewarded they may also be said to be meritorious which yet hinders not the freedome of Gods grace in justification for wee doe verily beleive and confesse that both the VVorks and the Reward are of the free grace of God and that the Lord giveth us all things not of Debt or as being in our Debt but of free gift and his infinite goodnes and VVisdome hath seene it meet to promise a Reward to good works and so hee doth reward them becaus of his goodnes and faithfulnes and not because he is addebted unto any of us otherwise then as hee hath bound himselfe by his promise And this is contrary to that ●alse Popish Doctrine which affirms that men deserve a Reward from God for good works upon the account of strict justice without respect to the Promise And if it be answered that all Papists doe not say so but are more moderate well then I say If some of them be moderate and passe from the erronious opinion of Popery and speake that which is true if others speake what is true also in that particular should the truth be accused and condemned for ranck Popery because some Papists at times confesse to it You your selvs know that Papists contradict one another in divers things and where men directly contradict one another one of the sides must speake true But as to that wherin the justification stands and on which it is grounded to wit Christ himselfe as in dwelling in the Saints none of all the Papists for ought wee ever heard or read doe owne it but are against it Againe as to the works by vvhich the Papists seeke to be justified they are such as vve beleive none can be justified by viz. their outward observations their invocation of Saints bovving to images saying Ave maries telling their Beads their Pilgrimages their whipping themselvs their keeping Lent and many other such like works of voluntary humility by which they seeke to be justified though they are evill vvorks as not done in the faith and povver of God nor does it serve thy turne to say that Papists think not that vvorks considered as evill and sinfull are sufficient to justify them for that is not the question vvhether the Papists think to be justified by vvorks sinfull and evill but this is the Question vvhether the Papists think to be justified by VVorks vvhich are really sinfull and evill hovvever they may imagine them to be good and herein I say vvee differ vastly from Papists they think and seek to be justified by such VVorks as are evill in the sight of God vvhereas vvee beleive that by no such vvorks can any man be justified Other vveighty differences cold be shevved in relation to this matter but vvhat is here in short declared may suffice to evince that vvee differ vvidely from the Papists concerning justification Thirdly looke hovv near a kin yee are to Papists as in many other things So in these relating to justification First doe yee not say that yee are not justified by Christ in dvvelling in you so say the Papists Secondly Doe yee not say that the vvay to attaine to a state of justification is not by beleiving in the VVord of faith vvhich is in every man and in the Light vvhere vvith Christ has enlightned every man that coms into the vvorld And so say the Papists vvho though they talk of universall Grace yet they deny that this Vniversall Grace is an Evangelicall principle of Light by beleiving in which men can attaine unto a state of justification immediatly 3. Doe yee not say that Gods act of justification is not an immediat testimony of his Spirit declaring or pronouncing men righteous And so say the Papists 4. Doe yee not say that men are not to know their justification or that they are in a justified state by an immediate testimony of the Spirit in them by vvay of object for this vvere to assert immediate revelation so doe the Papists So by these fevv instances given here and by many other instances given by others in other particulars try your selvs and first clear your selvs of Popery before you or thou doest throvv it upon us Now wher as thou alledgest that the Apostle in the matter of justification excluds all works even those of Christ his working in the Saints and which they work in him 'T is falfe nor doe the Scriptures cited by thee prove thy intent as Rom. 3. 20 gal 2. 16. Tit. 3. 5. thou sayest the Apostle speaks of works in generall without any limitation But herein thou contradictest the very expresse

Scriptures cited by thee for all these Scriptures speake of works with a limitation as Rom. 3. 20 by the deeds of the law there shall no fllesh be justified and Gal. 2. 16. knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law here the works of the law are excluded but not the works of Christinus which are not of the law for the law or first Covenant was weak and gave not strength to them who wer under it to fulfill righteousnes but these who were in Christ Iesus witnessed the righteousnes of the law fulfilled in them who walked not after the flesh but after the spirit And as for that other Scripture Tit. 3. 5. though it exclude works of mens doing as of themselves yet it excluds not all works nor inward righteousnes of Christ but expressely includs it according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy holy Ghost thou cauldest not have brought a more plaine proof against thy selfe for thou citest this Scripture as holding forth justification Now the Apostle sayeth he saved us according to his mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost and is not the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost a vvork which comprehends many particular works of the Spirit of Christ in the Saints And is not regeneration and the renewing of the holy Ghost a righteousnes wrought in us How is it then that thou art not ashamed to charge us with rank Popery for saying wee are justified by a righteousnes wrought in us seeing the very Scripture cited by thee is expresly for it May wee not pertinently returne these words upon thee which thou misappliest to us Oh tell it not in Gath publish it not in the Streets of Askelon c. That a man who pretends to teach others aright in the matter of justification hath so confounded himselfe that to prove that justification is not by a righteousnes wrought vvithin bring a Scripture which speaks expresly of a righteousnes vvithin to wit that of regeneration and renovation by which wee are saved And if any should say the vvords doe not say vve are justified by the vvashing of regeneration and renevving of the holy Ghost but vvee are saved therby as intending sanctification and not justification I answer This helps not the Author out of the ditch for he brings this Scripture forth applying it to the matter of justification But againe if these vvords exclude all works generally and vvithout any limitation then they exclude all works vvhich are vvrought by the Spirit of Christ from sanctification as if men vvere sanctified by no vvorks of the Spirit of Christ within them or if it be said that vvorks of our ovvne doing selfe-righteousnes are only excluded from having place in our sanctification but not the vvorks vvrought in and by the Spirit of Christ then I say vvhy may not the same distinction have place in all these other Scriptures vvhich say vvee are not justified by vvorks c. and indeed in all these Scriptures it holds true no lesse concerning sanctification then concerning justification As thus by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be sanctified knovving that a man is not sanctified by the works of the Law c. but it vvere vaine to infer from this that men at Sanctified by no vvorks of righteousnes wrought in them by the Spirit of Christ therefore it is as vaine to infer that men are justified by no vvorks of righteousnes wrought in them by his Spirit Pag 22. Thou sayest wee can shift of popery with this that they are not our good works which deserve and merit justification but the good works of Christs working in us yea I say wee doe justly cast of the accusation of Popery as having the expresse testimony of Scripture that wee are justified by works to wit such as are wrought in Christ and by him in us Iames. 2. 24. you see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only compared with Tit. 3. 5. before-mentioned and as for the Papists works by which they seeke to be justified wee doe not acknowledge them to be such works as whereby or wherein any can be justified And vvhereas thou pleadest that the good vvorks of Christs vvorking in us are ours citing Isai. 26. 12. Matth. 5. 16. c. Wee grant it but they are not ours in that signification as vvhere it is said hee that is entred into his rest hath ceased from his owne works Hebr. 4. 10. There are works which are so ours that they are not the works of the sanctifiing renevving Spirit of Christ in us and such are works both of open unrighteousnes and of selfe fained righteousnes vvhich has no better root to bring them forth then mans ovvne will and Spirit and by such vvorks vvee deny to be justified yea vve deny all such vvorks and the justification by them and desire to stand in a continual denyal unto them and forbearance from them But againe there are such vvorks vvhich are so ours that they are Christs also vvho vvorks them in us and by us and are ours by his free grace and by such works vvee affirme men are justified Pag. 23. Thou pleadest That men cannot be justified by any works of Christs working in them because they are imperfect And for their imperfection thou instancest 1. Faith becaus it is said O yee of litle faith why doubt yee Answ. By this thou mayst as well exclude faith from justification every way as vvorks if it vvere granted that their faith vvas imperfect but that Scripture nor no other speaks not of imperfect faith but of little faith Novv little Faith is perfect in the measure of it as a little Gold is perfect Gold And though the Disciples had doubting yet the faith vvas not the doubting nor vvas it made impure by it for the least measure of true faith can never be defiled othervvise it could not purify the heart it is like the fire vvhich cannot be defiled vvith the impurities of those things it vvorks upon And as for the Disciples at that time as they vverein part justified or approved by the Lord in relation to their faith so were they reproved and not justified of him in relation unto or becaus of their doubting But this Scripture nor none other provs not that faith was or is alwayes accompanied with doubting Abraham beleived Gods promise without doubting and was strong in the faith giving glory to God and it was imputed to him for Righteousnes Rom. 4. 20. 21. 22. And said James His faith was perfected by works Chap 2. 22. For that which is perfect in a lesse measure can be further perfected in a greater Secondly Thou pleadest that knowledge is imperfect becaus the Apostle saith VVe know but in part 1 Cor. 13. 9 But the Apostle does not say our knovvledge is imperfect or impure Wee may knovv a thing in part and yet that

and vertue as a candle extinguished For by the fall the lamb the witnes came to be slaine and remained so until the Spirit of life againe was sent from God into it to give it life and power to witnes against mens transgressions for a witnes that is wholly dead cannot witnes unto particular things of fact against men as this inward witnes in all men doth who doe not againe crucifi● it in themselves And seing Christ tasted death for every man and the grace that brings salvation hath appeared to every man and the Gospel is preached in every creature as it is according to the Greek in Hebr. 2. Tit. 2. Col. 1. 23. It is manifest that the illumination given to every man is a new and fresh visitation of Gods love in Christ freely given unto them for salvation Now as to the word Nature if it be rightly understood there shall be no great difference about it For if by Nature thou understandest the Nature that is corrupt and fallen and that which simply is derived from Adam then wee deny that that Nature can claime any right to this Light or that it can be said to proceed from that Nature But if thou understandest by nature the nature that is spiritual and heavenly and is derived from Christ the second Adam the quickning Spirit the Lord from Heaven then I say the Light may properly be called the Light of that Nature in which sense is to be understood that place of the Apostle Rom. 2. v. 14. cited by thee where hee sayeth The Gentiles which have not the Law did by nature the things contained in the Law For who will be so grosse as to say that the Gentiles by the corrupt Nature could doe the things contained in the Law which is pure and Holy But by that Nature which is one with the Law towit divine and heavenly they might doe them So that thou canst not but still be accounted a wilful enemy to the Light whilest thou opposest it and dost not turne to it and by it come to see the evil of thy wayes and forsake them Pag. 12. Though it ●e here asserted in name of the Quakers that the Scriptures are of excellent and blessed use yet thou wilt not beleeve it and alledgest they will not make the due use of them for these Reasons First Because a Bible thou sayest Is not to be seene in all our meetings But that will inferre nothing at all for wee meet not to read the Scripture but to wait on the Lord and be taught of him and receive from his Spirit what hee pleaseth to administer either in our selvs or through the mouthes of his servants wee meet to Worship God whos worship is to be performed in Spirit and in truth and not in externall reading Thou sayest Christ tooke the book of the prophet I saiah and read out of it But was not this the performance of a legal duty and in condescendence to the Iewes manner for it was in the synagogue but did he ever coustitute it as a part of the Christian worship for one man to take the bible and speak upon it and all the rest to be excluded from speaking while hee pratles his owne barren empty notions about it shew me where that was the practise or order among the Apostles and primitive Christians In the churches way 1. Cor. 14. there is no such thing but on the contrary vers 29. let the Prophets speake two or three and let the other judge if any thing be revealed to another that sits by let the first hold his peace for yee many all prophecy one by one that all may learne and all may be comforted By which it plainly appears there was no such setled custome among them but it is one of the maine inventions brought in in the Apostacy wherby barrennes and drynes hath entred and wherby the quickning unlimited life has beene stopped from flowing through many vessels It is true the Apostles at times cited Scriptures out of the law and the Prophets to shew their fulfilling or to open the mind of the Spirit concerning them which is frequent is our meetings to cite Scriptures and open them in the same life and Spirit that gave them forth in the order of the Spirit but not in the order and way of mans wisdome and Spirit as is your way which savours more of Aristotles School then of the Church of Christ. Secondly as to what thou sayest that it is not our way to encourage the People to read the Scriptures and to try doctrines by them 't is utterly false for wee desire that all may come to try doctrines even by the Scripture but wee bid them also come to the light in them to read and try doctrines and understand the true sence of the Scriptures therein and if People did so wee know that then your jugjuglings about them would be made manifest but indeed wee are far from desi●ing People to heed your false Glosses and commentaries upon them wherby yee darken them rather then interpret them Thirdly thou sayest when you want an inward command to a duty I trow the 〈◊〉 command of the Scripture is not regarded Ans here thou writest as one unacquainted vvith the Law and new Covenant vvritt in the heart the inward command is never vvanting in the due season to any duty as it is vvaited for and the outvvard testimony or signification of the command vvee regard in its place Is it not a regarding the outvvard to mind the inward unction and spirit to vvhich it directs vvhich invvard teacheth all things and leadeth into all truth 1. Ioh. 2. 27. 1. Cor 14. 15. Iohn 16. 13 yea doe not such more regard the outvvard then they vvho under a pretence of an outward command doe run about these things in their ovvne natural will and Spirit neglecting to vvait upon the Lord for the leading and help of his Spirit Thy comparing us to servants who will not be moved to work by their masters letter c. is vaine and riduculous nor doth it reach us for our Masters letter is vvritt in our hearts and ther wee ar to find it neither is our Master separated from us as those Masters are vvho use to vvrite letters to servants to set them on vvork while they are absent and cannot help them by their presence for our Master is alvvayes vvith us and hee requires us to doe all our vvorks by his imediate counsell direction and assistence as present vvith us and in us And that nature vvee vvitnes brought forth in us vvhich does not shift his vvill but delight in it to doe it and knovv it vvhether told us by a lively voice or by any other invvard signifification of his Spirit Fourthly and becaus thou art ignorant of that great duty of wayting upon the Lord in silence out of all thy ovvne thoughts and words and art trampling it under foot thou lookest upon it as mispent time or a meer

righteousnes which could proceed from his owne will and Spirit even all the willings and runnings which can arise from a mans selfe though he be a Saint without the immediate operation of the Spirit of Christ the Saints have this to watch against to keep downe the active and working selfe-will and stop it from working the selfe-righteousnes which if it be not watched against and stood against will fall a working its righteousnes which God accepts not as being but the bare righteousnes of man and this is that righteousnes which Paul denyed to have which hee even calleth the righteousnes of the Law but this which is of the Law thou cunningly omittest becaus it made against thee it seems Now what that righteousnes of God through faith was which hee desires to have hee plainly expresseth ver 10. that he might know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings in being made conforme unto his death Now is not the knowledge of him and the power of his resurrection a work of the Spirit of Christ in the Saints by which they are justified according to that by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many and is not the fellowship of his suffering or the suffering with him a work of his Spirit Lastly is not the conformity unto his death a work of his Spirit in the Saint comprehending the whole work of mortification Pag. 26 Thy last argument from 2. Cor. 5. 21 is most absurd and impious for accordingly it would follow that as Christ was made sin for us or suffred for our sins who himselfe had no sin no not in the least So wee may be made righteous before God though wee have no righteousnes no holines no faith no repentance no mortification no good thing wrought in us And doth not this strengthen the wicked ungodly and profane in their presumption to have title to Christ his righteousnes And so to returne thy misapplied instance in another case Suppose some of the profane who plead a right to Christs righteousnes having lost some of their number should happen to hear thee disputing against all good works as being profitable to justification might they not say concerning thee and thy brethren who teach such doctrine wee have not only gott the lost sheep but the lost shepherds and the cheifest of them too on our side let us rejoice wee have found them Wee find the Apostle maks a farr better inference from Christ his dying for us 2. cor 6. 15. he died for all that they who live might not any longer live to themselves but to God yea and every where hee holdeth forth inward holiness and righteous as that without which no man can lay claime to Christ if any man be in Christ hee is a new creature but he doth not say God reputes him a new creature though hee be not really renewed And though it be said that wee are made righteous in him this hinders not as thou vainly inferrest that wee are not made righteousnes by an inward righteousnes for hee is in the Saints aud fulfills the righteousnes of the Law in them that the righteousnes of the law might be fulfilled in us Rom. 8. 4. Therefore that 2. Cor. 5. 21. is thus to be understood that Iesus Christ who knew so sin was made to be sin for us that is suffered for our sins that wee who had really sinned and so deserved wrath might partake of the love and grace by him and through the workings thereof be made the righteousnes of God in him for that the Apostle understood here a really being made righteous and not a being esteemed or held as righteous while indeed impure is very evident by the whole following chapter but especially towards the end what fellowship hath righteousnes with unrighteousnes wherefore come out from among them touch not the ●uncleane ●hing be yee separate and I will receive you and yee shall be unto me for sons and daughters Now to be received of the Lord is to be justified of him and here wee see plainly that in order thereunto there is required a righteousnes by which they must be separated from the evill and uncleane and must not touch it And whereas thou sayest that the holiest actions of the Saints becaus of the sinfulnes of these actions deserve condemnation I aske thee whither did the Apostles sin in writing the Scriptures in preaching Christ and gathering the Churches Whither their being the instruments made these things sinfull which were done not only by the command but by the power and vertue of Christ in them and seing thou canstnot deny but the Scriptures called by thee the word of God were brought forth by the holy Spirit in the holy men of God and did flow as waters from the Spirit of God which gave them forth through the very first penmen of them becaus of the uncleannes wich thou supposest to have been in them If thou sayest Nay thou contradictest thy former instance of cleane water receiving a tincture of uncleannes from the uncleane pipe through which it passeth if thou sayst yea to wit that the Scriptures were defiled and corrupted by the penmen of them I leave it to all of any sound judgement whither you or wee be most esteemers of the Scriptures wee who say they wer pure words as gold without any tincture of uncleannes or corruption as they came forth from the Spirit of God through the penmen of them or you if you say that they were defiled with the uncleannes of the men through which they were given forth hee who has any true understanding let him judge concerning these things Pag. 26. Thou blamest it as an unsutable thing for a Quaker to say that that people to whom hee is joined are the most Christ-like Christians this day upon the earth and yet will any of you say lesse of your way for if yours be not the best way why doe yee plead so much for it Why doe yee preach it up Why doe yee study to draw people to it and complaine of those who have left it Now is not a good Principle a ready way to lead people to good practises And are not these who are in the right way of the flock of Christ And is not Christs flock like unto him Can it therefore be an unsutable thing for one who supposeth himselfe to be of Christs flock to say the flock with whom hee is is likest to Christ Will any of you say lesse except yee grant your selves not to be of Christ's flock Wee ar not the most Christ-like people sayest thou by what wee outwardly appear becaus the Monks and Hermits therein excell us nor yet by what wee inwardly feele becaus others different from us have felt as much As to the first thou hast shewed thy ignorance of the very appearance of Christiantiy for the appearance of Christianity is not in fleeing the Society of men or retireing the outward man making Vowes of