Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	faith_n	work_n	work_v	15,333	5	8.0919	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89189	A sober ansvvere to an angry pamphlet, or, Animadversions, by way of reply, to Robert Barclays late book (entituled, Truth cleared of calumnies) in answere to A dialogue between a Quaker and a stable Christian by VVilliam Mitchell.	Mitchell, William, 17th cent.	1671 (1671)	Wing M2294; ESTC R43708	69,116	149

the light wherewith Christ inlightens every man that cometh into the world Ans That being a created work of light it is not the object of faith we are no where warranted to believe in a creature but threatned with a curse if we do it 3. He saith that we deny that men are to know their justification or that they are in a justified estate by the immediate testimony of the spirit and so do Papists Ans It is by us lookt upon as an errour in Papists that they are against the certaine knowledge and assurance of Justification and do so much cry up doubtings but though Papists should oppose the knowledge of justification by an immediat testimony of the spirit this will not prove it to be Popery Every thing that Papists mantaine is not Popery for it is known they hold some truths in common with the Orthodox Popery is their super added inventions and corrupt additions to the truth amongst which is their and your doctrine of justification by inherent righteousness SECT III. We are not justified by good and Gracious Works wrought in us He saith that Rom. 3.28 Gal. 2.16 The works of the law are excluded but not the works of Christ in us Ans Either the works of the law which in these scriptures are excluded from justification must be evil and sinful works or else good and gracious works they are not evil and sinful for here the Apostle confutes such among the Romans and Galatians as had corrupted the doctrine of justification but it would be irrational to think that their opinion was that sinful works did justify could they imagine that to be the cause of justification which deserveth and bringeth on condemnation And therefore the Apostle excludeth from justifition good and gracious works and consequently the works of Christ in us as not being the meritorious cause of justification Further we shal find that works simply and in general are excluded from justification and this is notably proved in the case of Abraham who though a gracious and godly man yet was not justified by works Rom. 4.2.3.4.5 For if Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory but what saith the scripture Abraham believed GOD and it was counted to him for righteousness now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt but to him that worketh not but believeth in him who justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness Likewise works without that limitation of the law are excluded Tit. 3.5 which scripture was cited by me in opposition to justification by works as the meritorious cause thereof verse 7. that being justified by his grace we should be made heires according to the hope of eternal life and indeed works in us and done by us neither merit justification nor salvation though they be the qualification of the persons that are justified and shal be saved for all such are regenerate and renewed by the Holy Ghost It is a known saying good works are the way to the Kingdome and not the cause of reigning and we onely deny them to be meritorious causes of blessedness in this respect the Apostle excludes works generally And therefore the Gentle-man might have kept in his insulting triumphing words why should he be at so much paines to make to himself a man of straw and then take pleasure to undress him There is no hazard to exclude the merit of works in justification and yet to affirme them necessarily requisite in the subject justified He telleth us page 38. That they justly cast off the accusation of Popery having express testimony of scripture that we are justified by workes Jam. 2.24 Answer Papists alledge the same scripture for justification by vvorks and therefore one ansvvere shal serve you both vve must distinguish betvveen justification before GOD and justification before men if vve speake of GOD and being justified in his sight and before his Tribunal then vvorks cannot serve the turne Job 9.2.3 But how should man be just with GOD if he will contend with him he cannot answere him one of a thousand Yet vvorks are useful in respect of men to declare and clear our Justification as to them thus Abraham was justified by works Jam. 2.21 that is declared to be just hereby he was approved as just and righteous in his own conscience and before the World He saith that good works are not ours in that signification as where it is said Hebrews 4 10. he that hath entered to his rest hath ceased from his own works Answer None of us do affirme that that good and gracious works are ours in that way that sinful works are and therefore his answere is but a shift he cannot deny good works of Christ in us to be called ours for though we be enabled to them by Christ and so efficiently his yet they are subjectivly our own our own faith and our own repentance it is not Christ but we who repent and believe Hence it is evident that if justification be by good works of Christ in us then our good works justify us for these are ours in respect of subject and inherency He addeth that faith may be excluded from justification if it were granted to be imperfect Answer This is his groundless assertion for the matter and substance of our justification is not faith but the perfect righteousness of Christ apprehended by faith and upon the account of this object of faith to wit Christs perfect righteousness Which faith applyeth therefore faith is said to be accounted for righteousness Rom. 4.5 He saith that little faith is perfect in the measure of it and though the Disciples had doubting yet the faith was not doubting Answer According to this he might as well say that light in the Aire at the very first breaking in and dawning of the day is perfect light for though the Aire then be partly light and partly dark yet the light is not darkness yea he might call gold attended and mingled with a great deale of dross perfect gold because the gold is not dross And page 39. he reasoneth no better alledging that though we know but in part yet our knowledge is not imperfect we may know a thing in part and that which we know of it we may know perfectly Ans It is needful to enquire what is meant by imperfection is not that imperfection when there is not that degree of grace in us which ought to be Now when our faith is but little and our knowledge in part have we all that faith and knowledge that we ought to have Or rather have we not cause to complaine that we come short of the command Who can say they know GOD believe in him and love him in the highest degree that they are bound to do if not then these grace● must be imperfect Object It is said of Abraham that his faith was perfected by works Jam. 2.22 Answer This comes to no more but that his faith was made known and

discovered by his works like that expression where GODS strength is said ro be perfected in our weakness 2. Cor. 12.9 In answering that place Eccl. 7.20 he brings scriptures to prove that there are righteous men who do good But this was not the thing denyed he should have proved that righteous men on earth do good so purely that there is not the least fault or blemish cleaving thereunto As for that scripture 1. Ioh. 3.9 he that is born of GOD sinneth not it doth not prove an absolute freedom from sin for this is contrary to the experiences of the Regenerat and Saints in all Ages who have bitterly bewailed and ruefully mourned under the sense of their sins the words in the Greek are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is he maketh not sin sin is not his trade Now a man makes a trade of sin when in sinning he is in his Element where he would be there is no work so pleasing to him as the work of sin But this is not the disposition of a Regenerate Person He addeth that the Prophet Isaiah 64.6 saith not all our righteousness which is of thy working in us who are Saints is as filthy rags Answ Neither doth the Prophet say as the Quaker brings him in speaking all our righteousness which we even the best of the Saints can performe of and from themselves are as filthy rags The Prophet speaketh in general and plurally of righteousnessess and that in the person of the whole Church and not relating onely to the wicked and ungodly therefore he useth the word all and our righteousness To affirme the Saints righteousness to be filthy rags is no just ground to make us ashamed for we do not reflect on the holy Spirit of GOD as if filthiness did proceed from him he is good in giving us the least degree of grace not being bound to give us any his work of grace and holiness in us is a special ornament to the soul making it in beauty to resemble GOD but in respect of us imperfection cleaveth to this grace in that it is not all the grace which the Law of GOD requireth of us being commanded to love GOD with all our hearts souls and minds Matth. 22.37 The best action and works done and performed by us as instruments have something of the taint of sin adhering to them where is the soul that is carried out in prayer and other spiritual duties with that love and delight with that purity and fervency of spirit which the spiritualness of the law doth call for Now it is the sin which cleaveth to the Saints good works which is to be throwne away this indeed is not an ornament but a deformity for which we should be humbled and ashamed in the sight of God He saith page 40. 41. that the Saints are subordinate coworkers with Christ but yet it followeth not that his works in them and by them are defiled and though it be said who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean this hinders not but that the Lord can and doth make clean those who have been unclean and so out of them who are made clean can bring forth clean things Answere 1. We grant that there are thousands in Heaven whom the Lord hath made perfectly clean and their actings have not the least impurity in them Heb. 12.23 Revel 21.27 2. We grant that there be many on Earth who are sanctified and cleansed yet their cleansing and sanctification is but in part they are not throughly cleansed and perfectly sanctified there is yet an unclean part in them they have in them flesh as well as spirit and however this unclean part viz. the flesh should be chained and kept down Yet GODS People to their smart and grief find the stirrings and rysings of it and the resistance and opposition it makes whereby they are hindred from doing good perfectly Gal. 5.17 the flesh lasteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would Rom. 7.19 the good that I would I do not but the evil which I would not that I do Now men being but in part holy and in part carnal therefore the works which proceed from them have some filth and taint of sin cleaving to them there is sin in the best men to undo them if GOD should deale with them in rigour Psalm 130.3 If thou Lord shouldst marke iniquity O Lord who shal stand 1. King 8.46 for there is no man that sinneth not And yet we deny not but by degrees the clean part encreaseth and the unclean is diminished yea and at last all the uncleanness shal be wrought out there is a happy time coming when the children of GOD shal not have spot or wrinkle or any such thing but this priviledge is reserved for them till they come to Heaven for there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not Eccl. 7.20 Intimating that the just mans doing good is attended with sin sinfulness cleaveth to his good actions as was formerly cleared by that similitude which the Quaker hath not in the lest weakened of clean water passing through an unclean pipe and thereby receiving a tincture of uncleanness The Gentleman that supposeth himself so well skilled in the outward creation should have instructed me what that outward water is which is not capable of defilment And having first done this he might then the more freely have come to his supercilious application SECT IV. Iustification is not by inherent Righteousness but by the imputed Righteousness of IESUS CHRIST He addeth that justification is taken for the making a man righteous and then it is all one with sanctification Answer Is not this to confound what the scripture distinguisheth Now justification and sanctification in scripture are alwayes spoken of as distinct benefits 1. Cor. 6.11 But ye are sanctified but ye are justified Rom. 8.30 whom he called namely to a conformity to the Image of his Son them he also justified And it is to be observed that we need not contest with Quakers or Papists whether the word justifie signify to make righteous or no Onely we say that the righteousness which doth make a man just or justifyeth him is not inherent in him And to assert justification to be the making of a man righteous by infused inherent righteousness or righteousness wrought in him is to confound what GOD distinguisheth and to alter the scripture sense of the word justify He addeth page 42. that admitting the Apostle Phil. 3.9 speaketh not of his righteousness whilest he was a Pharisee yet he was stil to deny the work and righteousness which was to proceed from his own will and spirit Answere The Apostle in the preceeding verses disclaimed righteousness proceeding from his own will and spirit but verses 8.9 he ryseth higher and goeth a step further even to the present time I account all things intending the present graces